#he's was like a dad and a mentor to me. like I finally felt like I had a male figure in my life who I could rely on

[mrsducky]

.

so I guess I'm unemployed now because my coworker and bosses husband, also my dads best friend who we've known for decades, the same man who's youngest daughter is almost the same age as me, decided to be a despicable gross loser and leave me a love letter on Thanksgiving in which he called me his "soulmate" because we shared music together and I drove in his stupid car twice

[cherienymphe]

A Caged Bird (Coriolanus Snow x Reader)

WARNINGS: NON-CON, blackmail, stalking, abuse of power, hints of dacryphilia, slightly spoiler-esque

summary: Birds are best kept in a cage where one can see them...and where you know where they are at all times.

~

You thought that it was over when you won.

That’s what winning The Hunger Games meant, right? The psychological torture, the grueling conditions, and the fear that wouldn’t leave you until you finally left the arena was supposed to be over. You made it out through blood, sweat, and tears, and so your reward was to go home and reunite with your family and try your best to put the memories behind you.

Try your best to put him behind you.

So, why were you still being tormented?

When you first locked eyes with Coriolanus Snow, your first thought was how strikingly blue his were. Almost as if they weren’t real and had been specially manufactured in The Capitol for him, somehow. His hair, too, was just so much blonder than anything you’d seen in District 12, and again, you noted how so much about him seemed…artificial.

…but then he spoke…and the effect his voice had on you was very real.

“You don’t seem like you’re supposed to be here,” you’d said to him after stepping off of that train.

His response was expected, a charming chuckle leaving his pink lips, blond curls the perfect addition to his features.

“I’m not,” he slowly admitted.

The intensity behind his gaze whenever he so much as glanced at you was enough to make any girl’s heart race, and despite what you wished, you weren’t immune. He was beautiful—gorgeous as some of the other tributes and mentors liked to call him—and despite the initial intimidation, there was something about him that made you want to let your guard down.

…but he was your mentor…and a capitol citizen…and you were nothing more than his ticket to notoriety.

“Don’t you know who his dad was?” another tribute, one from one of the better districts, had said to you in a tone like you were stupid.

That was all the confirmation you needed, really.

…but he’d hopped onto the truck with you and gotten into that cage with you and brought you and your district mate food. He gave you poison to use against the other tributes. He wanted you to appeal to the audience so he’d have the funds to send you supplies. It was hard to decipher what was purely for show and what was just because he wanted you—and him by extension—to win. Perhaps, they were one in the same though, and it was impossible to have one without the other. Maybe it didn’t matter his reasons behind his desire to have his tribute win.

Maybe all that mattered was that you’d win.

…but that was when you thought winning meant you’d be free.

Coriolanus Snow was your best chance at winning, and so when the rebels rigged the arena, you didn’t hesitate to stay behind and save him. It wasn’t even a question in your mind because mentor or not, he was hurt, and you had to believe that that one fluke was not your only fighting chance. You couldn’t allow yourself to believe that in saving him, you’d allowed freedom to pass you by.

“You saved me,” he told you, a gentle brush of his handkerchief under your eye to catch your tears. “You saved me, and I am going to get you out of here.”

You had no idea then that he meant out of the games…and to him.

It was that flickering moment of doubt where you wondered if you could actually win, and you recalled what you’d said to him earlier about believing you could, how much you needed him to actually believe it. Now, you were the one doubting, and he could see it, blue gaze flicking over your face and soaking in the fear and uncertainty, because if you couldn’t win…

You’d die.

A lingering gaze and a tense atmosphere, and you felt yourself pulling back, realization hitting you as to just what you were about to let happen. It was hard to decipher who overstepped first, but you couldn’t allow yourself to get wrapped up in something that was only ever meant to be strictly professional. Coriolanus was your mentor, and you were his tribute.

That was all.

You didn’t know then the full lengths he went to just to ensure your victory. How could you? You were too busy trying to survive, trying to fight off rabid tributes and teenagers driven mad with the sole desire to just live. It was all so unfair and angering, and you were sure that with less focus, you might’ve gone insane too. You didn’t have the luxury to worry about your eerily handsome mentor and whatever ulterior motives he might’ve had to see you beat this thing.

So, when you did win, all you could feel was relief. All you could focus on was your family and their faces when you’d ultimately reunite with them. All you could even entertain were thoughts of pushing this very real nightmare to the back of your mind for as long as you possibly could. Initially, you didn’t even notice that you weren’t immediately reunited with your mentor when they crowned you as the winner and got you out of there.

At least, not until you came face to face with him in your own district.

“I thought they’d killed you. I didn’t know if my actions had come back on you too,” Coriolanus told you in a secluded corner, the loud music drowning out his words and the cover of darkness hiding your faces.

Those beautiful pale curls were gone, and any thought that so much of his beauty relied on his golden locks was gone too with one drink of him. He was still the same handsome boy that mentored you, the same one who’d garnered the nickname ‘gorgeous’ among the other tributes. Up on that stage, you’d been thrown to meet a familiar gaze, your harmonious tune pausing for half a second as he met your shocked stare with an expression of his own you couldn’t place, pink lips curved upwards ever so slightly.

Any question of how and why he was here had disappeared as you registered his words. Confusion filled you as you stared at him, a slight frown between your brows as you wracked your brain for how that could possibly make sense.

“Why would they kill me…?” you slowly asked him, and you and the shadows were all that was privy to his confession.

The water bottles, the handkerchief, and the snakes—even the poison. Coriolanus had cheated to secure your victory, broken rules that plucked him out of The Capitol and dropped him here in your very own district as a Peacekeeper. The shock you felt that your victory was far from a fair one warred with the confusion you felt as to why he’d risk everything just for you to win.

If you’d lost fair and square—as you probably should have—there was no doubt in your mind that he’d be safely tucked away in the lavishness of The Capitol instead of lingering about in some rundown excuse for a bar in lowly District 12. If he knew what awaited him should his treachery be discovered…then why chance it? Nothing about your brief tutelage with him could justify what he’d risked and ultimately lost.

You wanted to ask him why, but something in you was afraid of the answer.

That almost kiss—a kiss you hadn’t thought about in months—suddenly came to mind, and even though you didn’t ask him why, something in you knew why even if you wanted to deny it. It was there in the dim lighting and rowdy atmosphere of some rundown building that every minor interaction didn’t start to feel so minor.

Every brush of his hand against yours as he reached for you, the unsettling way he seemed to watch you in that short time that you’d simply written off as concern for his tribute, and the ruthless desire to see you out on the other side of the arena. The kiss that never was only seemed like a lapse in judgement to you then, but in this moment, you had suspicions that it was very much intentional.

You swallowed, realizing that in that brief internal introspection, Coriolanus hadn’t taken his eyes off of you once.

“Did they send you to District 12?” you finally asked him.

You didn’t know what gave you away. Perhaps your tone, maybe your face, or maybe your eyes weren’t as secretive as you’d like to believe. Either way, something about your visage and demeanor gave the blond man pause, head tilting just a tad as those baby blues glinted with something you didn’t recognize but you know you didn’t like. He studied your face before coming up with the answer he probably thought you wanted.

“Of course.”

You didn’t know if you believed him.

…and Coriolanus could tell.

You’d played enough cat and mouse games in the arena—you never thought you’d have to play them in your own home too.

Starving off the affections of some boy in your district wasn’t hard or uncharted territory. Even spurning the forbidden advances of a Peacekeeper or two wasn’t unheard of, but Coriolanus was different. He wasn’t some average Joe turned cop. He was born and raised in The Capitol with a powerful father, and even though the man had been taken before his time, your former mentor still had been brought up with the kind of influence and reach and mindset that surpassed the average Peacekeeper.

They were followers—controlled by The Capitol and tasked with maintaining order. Most were no more than dumb brutes, mindlessly following orders without question, simple enough to be bribed and swayed. If Coriolanus’ actions had shown you anything, it was that he was not a follower. He did what he wanted and played by his own rules, and it was how you found yourself hunted by a gaze you thought you’d left behind in the arena.

Since the discovery of your former mentor’s presence in your district, you never felt alone.

Every walk to trade for food felt shadowed, every footstep home was accompanied with an echo, and a sweep of your eye over the crowd as you played an instrument or sang a tune was rewarded with a familiar blue one that made your heart freeze. You were forced to ignore it no longer when a single rose was left for you on the doorstep, your ma’s gaze questioning as she held it out to you.

You didn’t know where or how he got it, but you only cared about giving it back.

“I can’t accept this,” you told him, gaze steady but fingers trembling as you held it out to him.

It was raining, and the cover over your heads sheltered you from the downpour, but it did little to drown out the sound of it. Coriolanus simply stared at the flower for what felt like too long, making no moves to take it from you, and you swallowed. His blue gaze zeroed in on the action before it lifted to your face.

“…and why not?”

“Because I think it means something different to you than it does to me.”

Your response was swift, and you watched him sigh, eventually reaching out to finger the flower like he did that day before he’d proceeded to put it behind your ear. He finally took it, and just like that day before the games, it found its way behind your ear once again. The only change this time was the shudder that traveled down your spine, and the apprehension you felt when his gaze met yours.

For the longest time, the only sound was that of the rain, a few stray drops making it’s way onto your face and clothes due to the wind. If the man before you still had the locks you’d met him with, they would’ve been rustling with the breeze, right now. Both of you were very still, or maybe it was just you—nervous and fearful of how he’d respond. He briefly looked past you, eyes glinting briefly before they hardened once again, his pink lips pressed together as he regarded you.

“…and if it does?”

He continued when you frowned.

“Mean something different to me than it does to you,” he elaborated, and you blinked.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to gather your thoughts.

“I know…that I’m only standing here, now, because of you,” you slowly started, watching him push his shoulders back. “I won because of you, I know that, but-.”

“Exactly,” he cut you off, making your lips part. “You won because of me…and everything I sacrificed was to make sure you won.”

“…but I didn’t ask you to do that!”

You felt…cornered, somehow, because on the one hand, yes. You did owe so much to the man before you, but at the same time, what did you owe specifically? Your attention? Your affection? Whatever he deemed an appropriate compensation? When you saved his life in the arena that day, and he vowed to save yours in return, you didn’t understand the full ramifications of the deal you were agreeing to.

“I saved your life, and you saved mine, and I’m sorry for the things you felt the need to risk, but that’s where it ends.”

The cold from the rain didn’t faze you nearly as much as the heat from his gaze boring into your back.

You wanted to believe that your lack of confrontation was what led you to the predicament you found yourself in. After all, things between you two had held too many ‘what ifs’ and lingering feelings and questions. You liked to hope that telling the man in no uncertain terms that your relationship should never and would never progress beyond anything professional would fix things.

You never would’ve guessed that your bout of confidence would only prove to make things worse.

“My ma doesn’t even know any rebels, and you know that.”

You’d whispered the words so quietly, throat too choked up to speak any louder as you tearfully stared Coriolanus down, your words only intended for the two of you. Your back was pressed to the doorway as he stood before you, a foot or two of space between you as other Peacekeepers did their duty to search your house as thoroughly as possible. The reason you’d been given was suspicion of treason—to the shock of your ma—but both you and the handsome man before you knew the truth.

“One can never be too sure. It’s always those you least expect.”

His cool response only made you look away, a few tears escaping.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You won, you were free, so why did it still feel like you were in the game…except a much more dangerous one this time? You could feel his eyes on you as you watched man after man rifle through you and your ma’s things, your younger sister not home to witness this. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see him take a step towards you—just one, but one was enough to make you flinch.

You still didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking at him though.

“Unbearable,” he quietly said. “…not able to be endured…or tolerated.”

You swallowed.

“Not to be confused with hard—requiring a great deal of endurance or effort.”

Another step towards you.

“To find something unbearable means that you quite literally cannot stomach it any longer. It forces a change to come, forces something to…give,” he whispered.

Your gaze was still focused ahead, but his words made you blink, made your heart sink, and you swore that he knew that.

“I can make things incredibly unbearable for you…and your family.”

You straightened at that, finally looking at him with a venomous gaze and a heaving chest. Coriolanus reached up to pick at your shirt, removing a piece of grass from it, and you watched him inspect it before turning his blue eyes back onto you. They lingered on your own eyes before lowering to your lips, his own twitching so subtly you might’ve missed it if you were anyone else.

“Or I can make sure you’ll be taken care of, looked after as if you were my own…” his gaze met yours again. “It’s entirely your choice.”

You two stared at one another for an infuriating amount of time before he let out a sharp whistle, telling the other men that nothing seemed to be here and to move on. His wording was not lost on you, and you crossed your arms over your chest. Coriolanus was the last to walk out, and despite the feel of his heavy gaze, you didn’t look his way the entire time.

Your ma commented on the strangeness of the whole ordeal, but nothing about it was strange to you. It was all very calculating and sinister actually, and while you grew up hearing countless talk of running away and living off the grid, you were never more tempted than in this moment…but you were not alone. Your ma was sickly, and your sister was too young.

…and if you left, you could only guess what you’d be leaving your family susceptible to.

Your future seemed inevitable no matter how much you tried to find a way out of the path set for you.

The first night you slept with Coriolanus Snow, it was storming just like that day you’d attempted to give him back his flower. You’d cried for a good three hours before, feeling helpless in the aftermath of another so-called inspection from Peacekeepers—this one much more destructive. The only light that night came from the brief flashes of lightning, and the sound of the rain drowned out the reluctant gasps to leave your lips.

Hands much softer than you ever expected trailed down your frame, curving over your hips and dipping underneath your thighs. The blond man’s lips rarely left your skin, kissing whatever part of you that came to mind, nose gently grazing you as he did and pulling shudders from your frame. It was a foreign feeling to be so heated and afraid at the same time.

Under the cover of darkness, his fingers intertwined with your own and his hips were flush with yours. The feel of him inside of you was much more jarring than you thought it would be, choked deep breaths leaving your parted lips as he pressed his face into the crook of your neck. His thrusts were slow, the complete opposite of what you expected, and you didn’t know if you liked that better or worse.

Every kiss felt wrong, like you were betraying yourself, but in the same manner, they also reminded you of that first day you met. You thought about when you stepped off of that train, and that smooth voice escaped those pink lips, and your stomach flipped no matter how much you pretended it didn’t. The person you were that day wanted to throw your head back and welcome the little nips he left along your skin.

The person you were, now, wanted to crawl inside of your skin.

This man had stalked you to the highest degree, following you all the way from The Capitol just to collect on the young woman whose survival he ensured. The things he’d risked and ultimately lost, he placed the weight of on your shoulders as if you were responsible to compensate for that somehow. As if it was your duty to make his sacrifices worth it.

When he pulled you into his lap, resting on him with arms circled around your waist, it was your turn to press your face into the area where his neck and shoulder met. His fingers dancing along your skin made you shudder, and that just made the tears collect more because you didn’t want to enjoy this, but your body and your brain didn’t seem to be in alignment.

When you were forced to come around him, you saw stars, and you were positive your nails left marks on his back.

You didn’t really think that no more trouble from Peacekeepers was worth the figurative collar around your neck. The abundance of food and supplies might have been, if only to just see the smiles on your ma and sister’s faces, but even then, when you found your back pressed to Coriolanus’ chest as he drove his cock up into you, you wondered if it was actually worth it.

Your ma would say no, that you knew for sure, but you supposed it wasn’t her call to make.

After all, the alternative was psychological torment and worst-case scenarios you didn’t even want to entertain.

“Would you have had her arrested?” you quietly wondered one night.

The sheet was clutched to your chest, and you were facing the wall, still unable to look him in the eye directly afterwards. You’d never been able to, feeling used and low and indefensible. You tried not to dwell on the feel of his fingertips tracing patterns into your shoulder, his cool breath hitting your skin as he exhaled.

“I mean…would you have…framed her somehow? Found some justification for it?”

You didn’t know why you were asking, certain you wouldn’t like the answer, and as you predicted, you felt your throat tighten the longer the silence stretched. Against your will—like many things you’d been doing as of late—a few tears escaped, and even before he answered, you knew what you were going to hear.

“Yes,” he confessed, just as quietly.

You squeezed your eyes shut, subtly wiping your face.

“I sacrificed so much for you to win, and not just because your win was my win…but because I wanted to see you win,” he murmured, placing a kiss to your back. “…because I wanted you.”

You knew that, but having it confirmed so plainly was disturbing.

“…and when I eventually make my way back to The Capitol, as we both know I will, I’ll still want you.”

Your stomach sank at that, and for the first time, you turned to look at him while still trembling in the aftermath of what had quickly become a nightly occurrence. His gaze was still focused on where your back had been, and when his eyes flitted up to connect with yours, you didn’t have the words to convey how you felt about what he was insinuating.

“In The Capitol, you’ll have access to things you could never even imagine…and you could send those same things back to your family,” he told you, reaching up to touch your face.

When you moved to sit up, he stopped you, a firm grip on your arm. Coryo—as he liked for you to call him—fixed you with a look that you knew all too well. It was the look he gave you when you tried to come up with any excuse as to why you couldn’t meet with him. It was the look you received when you briefly forgot the power dynamics here, turning away from him and attempting to push him away.

It was a look that told you not to fight the inevitable.

“I want you there with me.”

His tone left no room for argument, and there was so much conviction in his voice that the thought of arguing seemed legitimately draining. You simply stared at him, eyes glassy, and he stared back, waiting for verbal confirmation of what you both knew was going to happen, anyway. You had no choice in the matter, you never did, and for a brief horrifying moment, you almost wished you were a lone orphan who didn’t have to look out for anybody but yourself.

That thought did make tears spill over.

It was a horrible thing to think, but your loved ones were being used against you, and you knew that your ma—and your sister if she were old enough to comprehend these things—would never want this for you. Coryo sat up with you, a hand resting on your cheek as he gazed at you, a thumb brushing the tears away. It wasn’t meant to be comforting.

Nothing he did was ever meant to be comforting.

“I want you there with me,” he repeated.

You wondered what someone like you would possibly do in The Capitol.

“I don’t belong there,” you whispered, a poor attempt to get him to change his mind.

His response was swift and clipped.

“You belong with me.”

When he pressed his lips to yours, it was expected that you would kiss him back. His thumb brushed along your skin as you did, a low hum sounding in the back of his throat that quickly escalated into a groan. His free arm snaked around you, and your last attempt at resisting proved futile, so you let him lay you down.

Sex with Coriolanus was a maddening experience.

You didn’t want it, and your brain didn’t want it, but it was as if your body was its own separate entity running on hormones and animal instinct.

When he rested his full weight on top of you, you shuddered for a multitude of reasons—one of which you didn’t want to acknowledge. When he slid his hand between your breasts and down to your stomach, your back arched, chest pressing up and into his. When he pushed into you all torturously slow as he always did, you involuntarily held your breath, shaking at the feel of his hips connecting with yours, the length of him fully sheathed in your warmth.

You were terrified of him, so that was why you opened up for him like those budding roses he used to carry around, but in doing so, you made yourself vulnerable beneath him. You made yourself more susceptible to his kisses and his touch and that maddening voice that knew just how to get its way. He wasn’t a very talkative man when he was inside of you, much more content with letting his actions speak for themselves, but tonight was different.

“Look at me,” he whispered, curving his hips into yours. “Look right at me.”

You did, and while you didn’t know the specifics of the psychology behind this, you knew that looking into the eyes of your tormentor while in the act couldn’t be good.

“Keep your eyes on me,” he breathlessly told you, nose brushing against yours with every thrust.

You could hear that it was starting to rain again, and you pressed your hands into the small of his back, trying to ground yourself in some way—trying to have control over something, anything. Tears kissed your eyes, and you swore—you swore—that something in those blues of his twinkled. It sparked something in his gaze, and in his psyche, his thrusts becoming more powerful and making you gasp, nails pressing into his skin.

He only looked especially satisfied when the tears spilled over.

When he came inside of you, and you around him, you swore you saw stars.

You even thought you saw snow.

[j-jared]

Danny judges the Family Business

Danny: How many kids do you have? How many vigilantes are in Gotham right now?

Batman: ... you know how many.

Danny: Seriously, your grandson too? Couldn't stick to just yourself?

Flash: Can we not?

Danny: ... I mean I sorta understand the clone thing makes it murky water, but COME ON!

Superman: *sweating*

And finally, finally, they have enough of the lectures. They know Danny's identity, they know of his parents, his sister. So they ask.

Batman: Would you not tell your parents if you needed help.

Danny: I chose not to tell my parents! My dad has his own section on the news if he's out driving, I don't want them on my team!

JL: .. What?

Danny: I mean, yeah, they'd be helpful on the government research side of things, but... You guys obviously looked into this, they can't aim for shit most of the time! They cause more property damage than any of the ghosts do in the longterm. My dad would probably shout out my name each time he saw me on patrol. Besides, they've calmed down the whoke vivisection thing, they're more like... safari people now. If the ghosts aren't actively attacking, they watch and make notes to study behavior.

Wonderwoman: And your sister? She helped you did she not?

Danny: Yeah, when I was 14 and freshly dead? Believe me, the moment she had an out we both took it. She's studying out in California now, and she's only stepping in for emergencies. Like, end of the dimension emergencies, not 'Oh I've been stabbed again' emergencies.

-----

I find the idea that Danny lectures the JL about the younger heroes and like, making sure they aren't prioritizing hero work out of duty really funny. This undead boy took up his own duty when the only other option was his parents and their inventions (one of which actually killed him by opening a door to another dimension) and felt obliged to deal with the ghosts for both the living and the dead's sakes. He opened the portal, he'll clean up the mess while keeping everyone safe. Sam and Tucker got to help, but once he got control of his powers (maybe once he gets the crown and authority in a Ghost King setting), he's offered them outs as well. They take them slightly. They step in for the heavy hitters, but generally Phantom flies solo; besides JL business. Maybe Dani joins in, but she's her own free spirit so it's not like she sticks around long.

Danny wants to know that all these younger heroes are there because they wanna be, not sacrificing a normal life because of feeling pressured or needing to live up to the expectations of their guardians/mentors.

And I know the JL care about these kids, Danny just ain't sure (He can glance at the BatClan and just smell the death and drama) - and he wants to be. These kids better have a healthy work-life balance, so help him Ancients.

[miley1442111]

confession- s.reid

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a/n: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR 1K I LOVE Y'ALL, also my lc is over!!!! expect more stories more frequenrly and I'll finally get around to clearly m y drafts and finishing my TTPD series! also working on finishing my spencer reid series so yay!

summary: spencer's birthday was supposed to be fun for him and his girlfriend, what happens when his mentor (his girlfriends father) shows up at his door?

pairing: spencer reid x fem! gideon! reader

warnings: complicated family relationships, heavy making out, suggestive mentions, that's all

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“Spence-” you whispered into his mouth. God, this felt good. After not seeing you for 3 whole days, here you were making out on his couch like you two were hormonal teenagers.

He didn’t exactly mind though, and it seemed you didn’t either. Plus, you being here and the birthday gift you gave him (a doctor who box set and a blowjob) made this his best birthday yet. 

“So pretty,” he whispered against your lips as your hands messed up his perfectly styled hair. 

You took his glasses off his face and kissed him harder again, his moaning becoming unbearably hot. 

An ice bucket would’ve been an easier way to crush Spencer’s libido, but the loud ring of the doorbell brought you both out of the heated moment, and actually made you jump off his lap. You scrambled to pull your cardigan over yourself, and Spencer groaned out in frustration, the blood running back to his brain. 

“Coming!” He called as you dressed yourself. He grabbed his glasses, tried to straighten out his hair, and prepared himself to mentally curse whoever this was. It was 11pm, it was a weeknight, you two had already gotten your delivery order, and no one was supposed to come over. 

Who the fuck was at his door then?

Jason. Jason Gideon was standing at his door, and his soul left his body. 

He let out an involuntary scream which made you and Jason scream back. All were small, but distinct sounds, and Jason’s interest was piqued. 

“You have someone here?” He whispered. 

“J-just my girlfriend,” Spencer admitted. He’d never told anyone who his girlfriend was, especially not that she was his mentor’s daughter. “You can come in if you want?”

“Oh, I can finally meet the woman behind Doctor Reid-”

“No! S-she’s sick right now,” he squeaked. “She’s just… resting up.”

You had sprinted into the bedroom when you heard your dad’s voice and thank god you had, or else you would’ve been caught. 

“Wow, love really does defy all odds, you don’t even touch us when we’ve been fully sanitised,” Jason laughed. 

“ ‘We’, who’s ‘we’?”

“The rest of the team,” he nodded. “They’re coming up after me.”

“W-why?” Spencer picked at his nails as Jason smiled at him. 

“It’s your birthday Spencer, we wanted to throw a party,” he chuckled. 

“But it’s 11pm at night?”

“And we have another case,” Jason sighed. ���So grab your bag and we’ll have the party on the plane.”

“Oh,” Spencer deflated. He promised he’d spend the next few days with you. You’d taken time off work and everything. And he had to leave, again. “I-is there anyway I could… stay?” 

“Pardon?” Jason stopped in his tracks. 

“It’s just… I kind of promised my girlfriend that I would be here for the next few days since it’s my birthday and-”

“Spencer, it’s fine,” you promised, coming out of his bedroom. You did it without thinking, and now you’re faced with the impending wrath of your father. 

He looked between the two of you, then where you held Spencer’s hand in comfort as you waited for his reaction. 

“You’re dating my daughter, Spencer?” He asked, a certain anger in his tone. 

“Dad, please just-”

“And you didn’t think to tell me it was you who’s keeping my best agent from me?” He turned to you and you rolled your eyes. 

“Spencer is allowed to have a personal life, dad,” you argued as Spencer got increasingly red. 

“And what? You’re the personal life he needs?” He snapped and your face fell. 

“I know you don’t think I’m doing enough with my life dad, but I’m allowed to be happy with my boyfriend. Sorry that pisses you off so much,” you snapped back, anger boiling through you. You’d only really known your dad for the last two years. He’s reached out after your mom died. They’d been broken up for over 20 years. “If you didn’t want a kid, which you clearly don’t, you shouldn’t have reached out when my mom died. I was doing just fine on my own.”

His face twisted into a mix of shame and embarrassment. He didn’t want to make you feel small, he just wanted the best for both of you. “Y/n-”

“You have a case. Go on your case,” you spat, then turned to Spencer. “I’ll text you later.”

“Ok,” he rushed out, then ran off to grab his go-bag and be out of his apartment and out between you two. His girlfriend or his mentor, he was hoping you two wouldn’t make him choose because he knew Jason wouldn’t like his choice. 

Jason held out a hand to stop him. “Stay,” he sighed. “Take care of her.”

And with that your dad left his apartment. 

And with that the first few tears fell. 

“Baby,” he whispered, pulling you in. His heart ached for you. You’d grown up with a horrible family, and you’d begged someone to take you out of it, hoping that your father would show up one day. He didn’t. Not until the funeral. 

“I’m sorry I'm crying on your birthday,” you whimpered, trying to stop. 

“Please don’t apologise, he was being an asshole,” he held you tighter, praying the pain in his chest would go away. 

“I don’t know what to do,” you sobbed. “I know I’m not enough- for both of you, and I just… I keep trying but nothing is ever good enough and I’m so sorry Spencer, I really am, I really am trying-”

“You’re more than enough for me. I love you. I adore you,” he reassured you and your heart stopped. 

Well, that was a first. 

“You love me?” You asked, staring up at him.

“Of course I love you,” he nodded, a wonky smile on his face.

“I love you too,” you whispered and his smile turned into a full-on grin. 

“Well, that’s good,” he leant down so that you two were face to face. “Because-”

You cut him off with a kiss. You could taste the saltiness of your tears and you were sure he could too. But you didn’t care.

You loved him. He loved you. 

That would be enough for the both of you. Your dad was a jerk. 

---------------------

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Ding - Round 2

Read Ding here | ~6.2 k words

WARNING/spoiler there's a scummy guy in this part that tries to be forceful with our MC to go with him back to his place when she doesn't want to. Nothing will happen and nothing will be described in detail but be kind to your mind and heart ♥, trauma, anxiety, pining, and fluff.

From me: I actually know VERY little about boxing and even less about throwing a punch. I do however feel I'm well-versed in sprinkles so do with that what you will. Some parts of this got a little away from me again. I hope you like it 💕

Summary: Harry and Cupcake are both really busy and haven't seen each other in two months. But when Cupcake gets into trouble, she has no choice but to run into Harry.

Harry learned to fight when he was ten years old. He didn’t have his dad around much to teach him. Mum and Gemma may as well have been pacifists and as such, they weren’t much help when it came to defending himself. Harry watched his little girl friends get teased by boys. The same boys that told him he was weird for liking girls when they had cooties. Even if he didn’t (always) like them like that and was just merely defending them. Mum and Gemma may have been pacifists, but they taught Harry to be a respectful young boy. Especially toward girls.

One too many mouthfuls of sand at recess was enough to make him finally do something about it. He was angry. Angry because the girls didn’t like him because he was a boy (although they tolerated him since he was protecting them). Angry none of the boys in his class wanted to be friends with him because he was being nice to girls filled with cooties. Angry that he didn’t have a dad to teach him how to be a boy’s boy.

For a ten-year-old, he was really angry.

Mum took him to a gym—an introductory class to kickboxing. Just to get some of his anger out in an appropriate manner (and so he wouldn’t be sent to the principal’s office during recess again). Harry took a liking to the punching bag. He cried the first time he used it with the help of an older kid who was helping him learn to punch the right way. The poor teen watching him get so frustrated that his punches and kicks weren’t landing right—even though it was his very first time throwing a punch—saw something in him. Alerted his boss, encouraged Harry, worked with Harry every time he came in. He was a great mentor and even though he left only a couple years after meeting Harry to go to university and all that, Harry was forever grateful.

His first amateur match was at fifteen. Then there were only ten rounds at most, and he won by a landslide in five. By then he met Louis—someone who saw the same thing that teen kid saw in him and offered to be his manager. It wasn’t anything serious at the time. Harry was still in school and only using his time after school to get better at boxing. Louis was only a few years ahead but knew enough to help him be great.

By the time he turned eighteen, he had won three state-titles and people were watching him. At least in a way that those who cared about boxing did. Throughout university he trained and got better and won more and more.

Now Harry was twenty-five. He had to be nearing at least a hundred thousand punches since he was ten—eitherthrowing them at someone or at least in training against the punching bag he loved so much. Maybe more. He couldn’t even begin to think or count how he would figure out that number. Harry’s whole life was training, working, and fighting.

The only joys he had outside of boxing were his car and the sweet little niece that Gemma had kindly brought into his life—but that was only a recent change.

Only one other very recent change had left him a bit tongue-tied and flustered. Harry didn’t get flustered. Not since he was ten and knew he could beat the crap out of someone. There was no ringing bell to prepare him to make eye contact with a complete stranger and just feel like he had never ever felt before.

Was it love? Who could say, really. Harry had never loved anyone in his life that wasn’t his family or his friends. It made his stomach flutter like the first time he fought in a ring for something other than a trophy. A mere two hundred dollars on the line, all to get punched a whole bunch of times. Now he was still getting punched a few times over for a decent amount of money, but the thought of that pretty girl and her sprinkles made him unbelievably excited. Knowing she was there really made him feel different.

He knew next to nothing about her, but he was certain he was going to fall for her given half a chance. Even if she gave him a half a chance—a quarter!—he would do everything he could to have her in his life. If anyone else had damaged his car, he might have lost his shit, but there was something about her kind face, her doe-eyed expression in the rainy lamplight that made him rethink his entire life in the span of twenty seconds.

But whatever it was that he felt for her, he knew it started with her ringside. Beside his best friend waiting for the end of the fight that never seemed to end.

Normally, Harry’s matches finished in an average of nine rounds. But he was seated in the corner, sipping water like a hamster from the bottle, while Louis put Vaseline on his face where the cut on his eyebrow split between the tenth and the eleventh. “How you doing?”

“Is she impressed?” He asked.

“Who?”

“Cupcake. She’s sitting next t’Niall,” he was breathing heavy. Good as he was, it took a lot of energy to punch someone for a half hour as it was.

“Who?” Louis repeated, then thought better of it. He shook his head in frustration. “Can you focus on what you’re doing, Harold?!”

Louis didn’t get it. Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. To be fair, she was probably the reason it was taking longer than normal. Not that he minded. As long as she was impressed by the end, of course. Harry was on his feet, shadowboxing briefly with Louis, that boyish smile on his face. “What the fuck is your issue?” Louis hissed at him. “You’re acting like a lunatic!”

It seemed like a cliché to say he was in love, so he refrained from doing so. He felt it spared Louis further frustration as well. Cupcake, Cupcake, Cupcake. It was the only thing his brain could think. Fortunately, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the next round and knocked a bit of the sense back in his head that had floated away from him on the thoughts of the pretty girl nearby.

His opponent was just as tired (although Harry believed his opponent was more so) as himself. He could see the exhaustion setting in as he held his gloves up near his face blocking a few jabs Harry threw to get the excitement of the new round going. He was waiting, searching, nearly taunting for a window of opportunity. Right as his opponent swung aiming for his face, Harry dodged his punch; smirking as he did. A blinding weak spot, his guard was down for only a fraction of a second but that was all Harry needed.

Poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

Ding.

*

Harry looked like he was going to fall asleep sitting there in the bakery kitchen. He was a bit cut up; his eyebrow, the corner of his mouth, and his cheekbone had little cuts. Soothed with Vaseline, but it didn’t seem to bother him. His eyes were droopy. “Is Niall still around to drive you home?” She asked.

He shook his head. “I can drive,” he murmured.

He wasn’t really looking at her, but her look and tone screamed skeptical. “You look too tired to drive.”

“Mm,” he hummed. She was busy bustling back and forth through the kitchen. Cupcakes were in the oven. She only made a dozen, but Harry didn’t seem to notice it was a small amount. He was sitting at the big table in the middle of the kitchen. A seat dragged in from the office. She had her laptop open in her office running the report she needed while Harry held his head propped in one hand. She busied herself with prepping dough for scones and pastries while Harry tried not to loll off to sleep. She smirked at him.

“I could call you an Uber if you wanted,” she offered. “You don’t need to stay with me.”

His eyes were hardly open. “I’ll get a second wind in a minute,” he yawned. “S’jus’ the adrenaline wearing off,” he explained.

“Does that hurt?” She asked gesturing to the cuts on his (otherwise really perfect) face.

He shook his head. “Stings a little.”

“Will you be sore tomorrow?”

“A little. Stiff really... Why y’want t’give me a massage, kitten?” He smiled flirtatiously. Maybe she should have felt uncomfortable, alone with a man she only just met. But honestly, she thought Niall might be her new best friend and if Niall could vouch for Harry, then she wasn’t all that worried about him. Regardless of him knocking out his opponent with one punch. Truthfully, it was nice of her to walk her to the bakery. It was later than she expected and while the town they lived in was pretty safe, the college safety tips of never walking alone flooded her mind each time she did walk alone. She blushed at his forward assumption, but fortunately she was prepping something and stuffing it in the fridge, so he didn’t get to see. Plus, his exhaustion probably made him even flirtier.

“Thanks for being m’good luck charm, Cupcake,” he murmured sleepily.

“I didn’t know you didn’t need one.”

“Can never have too much luck.”

She smiled, continuing her prepping quietly. Harry watched her for a while. Eventually, his arm dropped to the table, and he rested his head on it. After another moment, a soft snore escaped his lips, and she smiled a little brighter. Only for herself, really, since Harry was asleep. She continued working. She was used to late nights. Maybe he really was going to get a second wind—honestly, she couldn’t imagine boxing and punching someone for almost forty-five minutes with only one-minute breaks in between rounds. Sometimes while she was baking, she would try to do other tasks while the timer counted down to take the treats out of the oven. It always surprised her how long and how short a minute could feel in the same breath.

But while she worked, she was mindful to not make too many loud noises. Harry needed sleep it seemed. She prepped for nearly an hour while waiting for the cupcakes to cool long enough to scoop out the middle and fed the sugary raspberry filling into the empty space. Frosting a dozen cupcakes took all but ten minutes then she packaged them in two half-dozen plastic containers with A Pinch of Sprinkles label taping it shut. Gently, she put her hand on his upper arm, and she really shouldn’t have been so surprised by how taut his bicep was beneath her hand, but she was. He was unbelievably strong, and she was in slight awe and shock of touching him—and he wasn’t even flexing. But rather than be creepy, she gave him a gentle shake. “Hey, Harry... Uh...it’s late. I’m gonna get going,” her voice was soft.

Harry startled almost jumping out of his seat and rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. “Sorry, sorry. Wow,” he turned his neck to the left and then right. “M’sorry I dozed off there.”

She shrugged. “Probably needed it,” she assured him with a gentle smile. She pushed the dozen cupcakes forward, across the table. “For you.”

He blinked then looked up at her. “Did you make these for—”

“Well, yes, I made them. You were unbelievably kind to me even though I dented Clay. Plus, you won so it’s like a job well done, you know?”

“You made me cupcakes,” he repeated, his gaze unmoving from her face.

“We really need to work out this whole repeating what the other one says thing,” she felt her cheeks warm as he stared at her, but she smiled, only feeling slightly awkward.

He turned his attention to the two plastic boxes and tilted his head at them. They were identical. His fascination with her precision was immense. “What kind are they?”

“The raspberry filled ones. You said you liked them.”

His gaze went right back to her, and he felt hungry, but not for cupcakes.

Well, at least not the baked good kind of cupcake.

“Thank you, Cupcake. That was sweet of you. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

Her smile seemed to transcend to a feeling of relief. “Not even a little...um... I just have to grab a couple things. Would you... mind walking me to my car? Unless you need to leave right now. I know it’s crazy late. I’ll be okay. I walk to my car on my own usually but it’s always a little creepy. But I feel bad I made you—”

“’Course m’gonna walk you t’your car,” he rolled his eyes. “Besides I don’t want you t’ding Clay again,” he winked to ensure she knew he was kidding. Because yes, he loved his car.

But rapidly, when it came to her, the car didn’t matter in the slightest.

*

She hadn’t seen Harry in two months.

It wasn’t like she was avoiding him. Part of her knew he was a mere social media friend request away. In fact, she was trying her hardest to not stare at the pictures of him on social media, the PR plug for his matches, and all the things that she saw Niall, Louis, and all his other friends shared. But she didn’t want to come off too forward. It seemed weird to be so into a man she only talked to for no longer than ten minutes total.

Besides...she had her routines. Work, family, and more work.

Also, if Harry was really infatuated with her the way Niall alluded to, he knew where her bakery was—he easily could come and find her here. But she did notice there was a tag to her shop on Instagram with raspberry filled cupcakes in the picture. (All it would take is for her to press the Follow button and wait.) While she didn’t know Harry all that well, she assumed he was probably just as busy. Her brief cyber-stalking showed that Harry was often at the gym—although she wasn’t sure which one. He was also an amazing uncle. That much was clear. It warmed her heart, and she would never want to tear Harry away from that kind of time. Family was extremely important to her. She wholeheartedly understood how much his free time was probably monopolized by the little baby.

But it was so strange that she didn’t know him yet there was some part of her that wanted to see him. It was bizarre. She never got all up and arms about a guy. There was work and there was her family. That was it. That was all she could afford to balance. She didn’t need a guy to mess with her routines or upset the balance of her life.

However, every time she walked alone to her car at night now, she wished that Harry was with her to assure her safety—even though she had done it hundreds of times before. The night they met, he walked her in silence, opened her door and made sure she was safely tucked inside. “Good night, Cupcake,” he smiled almost dreamily.

“Good night, Harry. Congratulations,” she responded with a smile too.

Harry’s smile grew and he looked away briefly before patted the top of her car and turned to Clay, put his cupcakes on the passenger seat and moved to the driver’s side. He gave her a wave and pulled out of his parking spot.

It was two months ago.

But after just one month, it was hard to deny she didn’t miss him.

That had to mean something. Just one brief night—not even a date. Most of that night was spent with Harry in the ring or asleep at her kitchen table. Hell, she got to know Niall more that night. But it was Harry’s smile that plagued her thought—crooked and perfect. The way his eyes glittered as he convinced her to follow him with a picture of his niece.

“Are you baking something in here or burning in here?” Maeve asked.

Maeve was her best employee—her right hand nearly every day. More importantly, her best friend. Shaking her head of the thoughts surrounding Harry, she sighed and turned to the oven where her fudge brownies were surely overdone. “Shit,” she whispered.

“I don’t think you’ve ever burned anything. Are you okay?” Maeve asked gently. It was a loaded question. It took a lot of time to dig the answer out of her friend, but Maeve did. She knew asking if she was okay was probably the wrong thing to say.

But if it was, she didn’t mind. Of course she didn’t. Her very best friend was sweeter than all the treats in the display case. “Just a little distracted,” she mumbled grabbing the tray and setting it in the sink to cool off (and hopefully so she didn’t have to scrape the bottom of the tray later).

“Harry on your brain?” Maeve giggled.

She rolled her eyes but felt the way her cheeks warmed at Maeve’s (correct) assumption. Maeve was shocked to learn that her strong-willed friend was convinced by a stranger to go see a boxing match. She couldn’t believe it. Granted, once she saw the picture of Harry, she couldn’t disagree. I think I would let him punch me in the face if he wanted to.

She decided keeping Maeve as far away from Harry as possible was probably necessary.

Rarely did she and Maeve work together. As her best employee and best friend, it was like asking her to hold her child when Maeve was on shift. There was no one she trusted more. So, when Maeve wasn’t there, she often was and vice versa. But every so often, usually at the shift change, Maeve got to see her best friend in her element. “Well, the good news is, you can go think of him at home,” she winked at her.

She didn’t even look at her. “You’re disgusting,” she deadpanned.

Maeve snorted. “That’s not even what I was insinuating. Your mind went directly to the gutter. Good for you. I bet he thinks about you while he’s doing it too.”

“Jesus Christ,” she was blushing brightly now. “I just want to fix the display case and then I’ll go.”

“Any fun plans for tonight?”

She hesitated briefly. “Uh yeah...actually. I have a date,” she mumbled.

“Oh!” It was silent for a long beat. Rarely did she go on dates. There were only a few since she moved into town three years ago. Mostly because the bakery took up so much of her free time. The remaining bit of time she had and didn’t go on dates was because of the guilt she felt. Maeve’s surprise was palpable. It made her cheeks turn pink and she bit the inside of her cheek. “Good,” Maeve smiled encouragingly. “Online?” She asked.

She nodded. “We’ve been messaging back and forth for like...” she shrugged. “Two weeks.”

“Are you excited?”

No. “Yes,” she sighed softly. “Been a while,” she smirked. There was a huge part of her brain that told her she didn’t want to go because it wasn’t Harry. It was like a neon sign had been posted in her frontal lobe reminding her that it was pointless to even consider this date. She should have just requested to follow Harry and be done with it—he would probably drop everything if she asked him on a date. “Just...nervous.”

“It’ll be good!” Maeve said reassuringly. “Share your location with me and text me when you get to where you’re sleeping,” she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“I will be sleeping at home,” she promised snorting through her laugh at her best friend.

Maeve smiled heading to the front and leaving her to finish with her burned brownies.

*

The front of the bakery was dark in color; she was aiming for warmth. The floors and baseboards were dark walnut brown. It contrasted sharply with the wall she wall-papered by hand with a white and brown marble pattern behind the display cases. It made the black chalkboard menus with the same walnut brown frames stand out. The lights were always set to dim when they were on. Her goal was to recreate the feeling of her childhood home—particularly the den where her father set up the most beautiful Christmases. The bakery lacked a fireplace (she joked with Maeve that it was an oven or a fireplace, and the oven did a better job at cooking croissants evenly).

The front of the bakery wasn’t massive. There were five little tables to sit and enjoy their treats if people wanted but it was really a grab and go kind of place. The back had more treats stored so the main room didn’t look overwhelming. The front display cases still contained more treats than anyone could think of eating. I wish I could buy one of everything was heard frequently from the line. Eventually she wanted to invest in coffee but for the time being she liked just her treats and was happy to recommend the coffee place down the road. If she ever got a hold of more space, then she would consider buying all the machines for coffee.

The bakery was honestly warmest when it was rainy. Which was frequent. She was reorganizing the main cupcake display, a tower of three tiers with one of each type of cupcake she made. The raspberry filled cupcake was the one that had been on top for the last two months. Each time it was bought, she replaced it with another. While people raved about her brownies, cakes, and even the croissants, it was the cupcakes that people came for; and so, she took care of the display as much as possible.

“Which one do you recommend?” She turned to the voice and saw a mom and little girl waiting patiently. She smiled fondly.

“Raspberry filled,” she pulled it from the top tier and handed it over. “Try it,” she offered.

“Oh, we don’t want to get you in trouble,” the mom said quickly while her daughter grabbed for it almost immediately.

She laughed. “Don’t worry, I know the owner,” she promised. “Maeve! I’m leaving!” She called but was delighted by the little girl’s approval. Silence, cake and filling on her cheeks immediately, and a delightful look in her eye.

“Have fun!” She called back.

“Enjoy the cupcakes. I also like the lemon vanilla ones.”

“I think raspberry filled is the winner,” the mom smiled.

She nodded, unable to keep herself from grinning back. “A fan favorite.”

*

She should have stayed home. The bad weather should have been an omen. But maybe it wouldn’t have been because she met Harry in bad weather, and everything was fine that night. It soured her mood and made her feel infinitely worse to think about the comparison.

I’m home. Not a great date. I’ll tell you later. She wished she had gone to Maeve’s. Maybe she would have doted on her. But she didn’t want to fall apart the way she planned on in front of her.

:( sorry babe. Sleep tight. Talk to you tomorrow :(

She locked her apartment door and checked at least fifty times that it was truly locked before she moved to her bathroom. Her heart was still in her throat and her eyes felt raw with tears. Maybe she was overreacting.

No.

The rational part of her brain reasoned against her handwaving casualness. She had good instincts. Obviously. If this same situation happened with Harry, then maybe she would have considered it her own poor judgment. It was more reason that someone as terrifying as Harry could have be sweet as her cupcakes that it was her good judgment that helped her get out of there tonight.

She hurried to get out of her clothes. Part of her considered throwing them away. She didn’t want them any longer. She wasn’t sure she would ever wear them again. She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it and pushed it a little further.

He didn’t hurt her physically. He tried. It was obvious his intent was to force her into the car... or worse. Which was disgusting in its own right. Until that moment in the dark, rainy parking lot, it was almost identical to her moment with Harry. But it wasn’t. Harry didn’t make her feel unsafe. Harry didn’t make her feel threatened. Harry gave her an out even though he wanted to hang out with her. She knew she could leave at any moment and Harry wouldn’t have blamed her.

She rubbed her arm so hard with her loofa in the shower stream it burned for a new reason. Tears blurred her vision and she felt so stupid. So completely idiotic. How could she let it get that far? That was so dangerous. So close she could have been hurt in so many ways that she didn’t want to think about, ever again. She closed her eyes and let the water wash the night away, feeling completely alone and dreadful.

She never wanted to date again.

*

She finished her shower, sniffles plaguing her, and she got into her comfiest pajamas. Her heart was still beating too fast as she crawled under the covers. She felt so ashamed. It felt like her fault. All of it.

There was a tiny rattling in her brain that Harry could have prevented it all. She should have just requested Harry on social media when she met him. If she had, she would have had his number by then. He would have helped her for sure.

Without thinking, she scrolled on her apps, and clicked on the various follow buttons. Every platform she could think of to request his social media friendship—looking like a lunatic be damned. Almost everything had a phone call button now, she could use it as backup if she needed. For good measure she requested Niall too. It was nearing midnight, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was scared. Nervous. Heartbroken.

Yet, within moments, Harry returned the request along with a direct message in her inbox.

Thinking of me at midnight, hmm?  😉

She snorted despite her uneasiness. One sentence and she melted. But she couldn’t let him know that. 🙄 it was nice while it lasted. Just going to unfollow you...

Aw, c’mon Cupcake 🙁

Oh alright... No, not really... just can’t sleep. Popped up on my people you may know while scrolling. It wasn’t a complete lie, and she was glad she wasn’t having a phone call. He would have heard her sniffles and then she wasn’t sure she would have been able to stop herself from inviting a total stranger over. Right now, she didn’t trust her judgment fully.

Been dying to press that Follow button, Cupcake. Didn’t want to come on too strong after that first night.

She couldn’t help but smile. The contrast between the night she met Harry, and her present night made her sad but relieved at the same time. I see you enjoyed the cupcakes.

Louis made me run laps for two hours because of you. I ate all twelve in less than 72 hours. Do you put drugs in those? They’re addicting.

Lol, no drugs. Well... sugar. So, pick your poison I guess, right? 😇

Well, thank you, Cupcake. That was delicious. I hope you liked the match too. We didn’t get to talk much. I know I fell asleep 🤦‍♂️ I was really happy you were there.

Her heart felt so warm already. Despite how much she didn’t want it to. Thank you for inviting me. Because she was nothing if not polite. It was really exciting! I don’t know much about boxing. But it’s obvious you’re very good—not that you need me to tell you that. Were you really going to make me look like an idiot and not tell me you were undefeated?

You’ll make me blush, Cupcake. Didn’t think you’d come with me if you knew.

Sneaky... 👀

Just... wanted you there, kitten. I promise. Nothing more... I know I came off a little too strong and I know I was a little...pushy. I would have let you go to your store if you really wanted to... But...

The three dots on his message disappeared and reappeared a few times over.It was cute to imagine him holding his phone thinking about what to type, erasing it, typing it again.

I can’t explain it, Cupcake. I’ve been going CRAZY these last two months. Niall’s calling me a stalker and I haven’t even SEEN you. The sentiment doesn’t give her any bad feelings. Because despite how much she wanted to be guarded, especially after her evening, she couldn’t help but believe him. Trust him, implicitly.

I swear something in the universe pulled me to you... I woke up just in time to see you blowing up my phone tonight 😍😍

She snorted and felt her body warm with his kindness, his gentle adoration through her phone no less. You’re insane, Harry Styles.

About you 😍

Oh my God... Now she really was blushing, but she couldn’t help but notice she felt so much better chatting with him. Well... we can talk tomorrow if you want.

Oh?

I’m assuming you’re tired and I’ve already hogged more than enough of your time at midnight, as you pointed out.

Oh, no.

No way, Cupcake. I’ll stay up all night to talk with you ❤

Her heart felt so heavy. It was unfair. How could she be so stupid? Her dad would have killed her for being so naïve. It was his worst fear while she was growing up. It was everything he always talked her through when she was going through puberty and telling her about boys teasing her. Her dad reminded her constantly that a man has no right to make her feel scared or fragile.

But she could feel his grip on her arm trying to coerce her back into his car. She shook her head of the thoughts, refusing to let him poison any more of her time than he had. She was talking to Harry. She was okay. It was alright. It didn’t happen. She got in an Uber, and she’ll never see him again.

Harry was talking to her. Harry made her feel safe. Harry didn’t make her stomach unsettled with a bad gut feeling. Here’s my phone number if you want it.

Within moments, she had a new text message alert. This is better than an undefeated record 😍

*

The following morning, she felt less terrible about herself and her stupidity, but she never wanted to feel that way again. She was also so tired from texting with Harry for hours. It was nearly three in the morning catching up on all the things he did in the past two months before she wished him a good night. There wasn’t much to report about their lives. They both seemed to be workaholics, but he did offer her some really cute baby pictures of his niece (and a pretty cute picture of Niall falling asleep on Harry’s couch after an intense workout).

While she sipped her coffee—staving off the sleepiness, she Googled self-defense classes. Her dad would have approved. He wanted her to do it back when she was in college, but she refused for whatever reason. She regretted that too.

It was telling that she debated whether she was overreacting for several minutes. If she was overreacting, she would have brushed off the idea of self-defense classes like she did in college. But this wasn’t something to overreact about, right? Before she could overthink it any longer, she paid for the class. Honestly, in that parking lot she was smart to do this. Worst case scenario, for one reason or another, it was the smart decision.

She cycled through the next stage of grief feeling angry and bitter that he made her feel this way. She was incredibly lucky it was raining and slippery and she managed to get away from him in the chilly spring air. He left her so rattled. She was defenseless, so a class was needed.

God, she missed her dad.

Fuck, she missed Harry.

She never wanted to feel that helpless again.

With the class paid for, she put an apron around her waist and headed to the front of A Pinch of Sprinkles and turned the closed sign to open.

*

The following Monday, after a full day of flour, sugar, and plenty of customers, she headed to the gym.

It felt awkward. She hadn’t been to a gym since her college days, and she was already frustrated from her horrific night out. She and Maeve told each other they would go together but they were terrible influences on one another and opted for shopping trips with the promise they would pretend their shopping bags were dumbbells.

When she arrived, she headed to the front desk and introduced herself. She even admitted she felt awkward and the woman behind the desk smiled encouragingly. “I’m Sarah. Let me show you around,” she came from behind the desk and headed toward the side room. “It’s safe here,” she assured her, like she knew. The assurance made her throat tight with emotion and she nodded stoically. “This is the locker room; you can change in here and you can leave your stuff locked up or in the front cubbies and I can watch it. Whatever makes you more comfortable,” she smiled kindly and glanced her up and down briefly. “Do you own that bakery downtown?”

She smiled and nodded, looking at the flour handprint on the thigh of her pants. “Thought I got all the flour off,” she brushed at it with a chuckle. “Yes, I do.”

“My husband is going to think I met a celebrity today,” she laughed. “We love your blueberry scones. They taste like heaven.”

“Aw, thank you so much, that’s so kind. I’ll bring some next time,” she promised.

“Oh stop, I’ll divorce him,” she laughed and headed back for the front desk.

She quickly changed, feeling safe and relieved once more. She brought her belongings to the front and sat in one of the seats across from Sarah’s desk. “Kickboxing is just wrapping up and your instructors will be right over,” there was a group of several other women milling about. Obviously, they at least knew how to be in a gym by themselves. A few came as a small group. Maybe she should have brought Maeve.

While waiting, she scrolled through emails from her landlord, her college alma mater group, and all the coupons she had ever subscribed to. “I have got to unsubscribe,” she murmured to herself. She scrolled through photos of the beautiful little area she lived in now, and as sad as it was to get here, it was nice. Her shop was nice. Despite how scared she was over the weekend, things were good.

The only thing that wasn’t nice was that stupid, awful man.

“Holy shit, he’s hot,” she heard someone whisper. It was peripheral. She didn’t even register it really because she was sending Maeve a picture of the sale that was happening at their favorite clothing store on Thursday. If she paid attention, she might have noticed sooner.

“Ladies, self-defense class, this way please!” The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Maeve sent about ten heart eyes to her, and she smiled, stuffed her phone in her bag, and waved to Sarah.

“Blueberry scones,” she repeated with a firm nod and followed the line of women. She sipped from her water taking in the banners around the gym and realized too late why Louis’ voice sounded so familiar.

He stood at the front of the room, along with another familiar face.

“Oh shit,” she whispered to herself and turned immediately back toward the desk.

She bumped into another woman who steadied her and kindly looked her over. “Sorry—are you alright?” she was nearly motherly in her demeanor and her head felt woozy. She couldn’t do this. Harry would know.

Why was Harry attending her self-defense class?

“Yes, yes, sorry,” she shook her head. “Wrong—”

“Hey,” Harry’s voice was right there. She stepped out of the room trying to get more air to her lungs and head.He wasn’t attending. He was teaching. This was his gym. The boxing rings in the main room should have been a clue. The sound of Louis’ voice. Oh, you stupid idiot, her brain scolded.

“Cupcake?” Her head responded to the nickname instinctively. Harry’s suspicious green eyes gazed back at her. “What are you doing here?”

--

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[tmntxthings]

一∑Moth to a Flame・゜・。

author’s notes: this is my entry for @dancingdonatello ‘s competition :D this has been sm fun and I can’t wait to read everyone else’s stories!!!

prompt: "You like them...more? Is that it? Am I the second choice?" "That's not true..." "Then choose me. Choose us."

warnings: angst, situation-ship, aged-up characters, college au, alcohol consumption, jealousy, yandere tendencies? cliffhanger

—————————————————————————

Donnie didn’t know how much more he could take. His mind was simultaneously all over the place and singularly focused on one thing. You.

~

Mutants and yokai kind alike have been out for years. So in the ‘town’ he and his brothers grew up in, they finally came to be free from the shadows. As free as heroes can be at least. They still needed to be a bit secretive on where they lived, in case of revenge-seeking villains.

But with mutants out on the surface, New York had grown accustom to them. Well, as accustom as they can be…

Donnie has met many people. He’s been able to attend college. Mostly online. But he finds the time to attend some evening classes in person. He met you. A floundering classmate in need of assistance.

Usually Donnie can find an excuse to get out of helping every poor soul that crosses his path. That’s what the professors are for. The librarians. Hell the student mentors! But with you… he just couldn’t resist.

The study sessions were long. But in the end you were able to pass, “All thanks to you Dee!!” You had cheered shoving your research paper into his face for him to appraise your passing grade. Barely passing, but it showed your improvement nonetheless.

He had been about to tease you of this. Three months of his help and you hardly grazed by?! But the thought was cut short as you pulled the papers away from his face and up you jumped.

Arms going around his neck and squealing your joy. He was frozen for a millisecond before his arms twitched into motion. His hands going around your back, holding you. That was the first time you had initiated such skin-ship.

Sure there had been the occasional touching of hands, passing laptops, books and the like back and forth. There had even been moments of playful touch, nudging his arm with your elbow for his odd choice in coffee. A tap above his glasses when he got too focused on his own work to answer your sporadic questions.

The hug didn’t last very long in terms of time. Seconds merely. But it made a lastly impression on Donnie. With the class over, you had no other reason to see him again. The prospect had Donnie fumbling to invite you out, to do anything to prolong such an ending to this blooming relationship.

“What classes are you taking next semester?” He had asked. You promised to text him the list, already having to dash off for one last exam.

He worried that would be the end.

Thankfully it wasn’t. You texted him later that evening, telling him all about the rest of your day as well as the list per his request. Unfortunately the two of you didn’t share any other classes. And it seemed unlikely for the future as well, the two of you were on diverging paths. Donnie despaired.

But you found reasons to message him. By the time the next semester rolled around the two of you were study partners, no matter the subject. Donnie would help if he could, and usually he was able. But there was a shift in the relationship. Outings to the library and other study areas changed to coffee shops. Then to your place. It only felt natural to invite you over to his.

Preparations were put in place. As were warnings “Yes, I do live in a sewer with my brothers and dad.” And “No it doesn’t reek of waste or garbage.” And “Yes there is one rat actually, my dear Papa.”

You took it all in stride. The introductions to his family went as well as they ever did. Friends. The two of you were officially friends. Donnie couldn’t be happier. With such a title he took more initiative with online contact. His messages would ramble on, sprinkled with pictures and videos.

Semesters continued to pass by and the bond between the two of you only grew. In turn, with more trips to his home, you became friends with his brothers. With April. It was just natural.

And then there was graduation. A celebration was in order. Four years, you had been in his life for four years and he couldn’t imagine it without you. The plan was to dress to the nines, and go out on the ‘town’! Drinking and dancing.

Of course, his brothers were invited as well as a few of your other friends. Donnie was no stranger to clubbing. The bar scene had become somewhat of a regular occurrence once his friendship with you was solidified.

You liked to go out. You liked music. He obliged on a few occasions to be your dancing partner and thus every time after it was his official label. Donnie was adverse to the huge crowds. It didn’t offer much room for dancing, but he’d endure it for you. With you in his arms it all seemed bearable. The music that was so loud it thumped in his plastron. The heat in the room percolating from the sheer number of bodies. Even the taste of alcohol, on the very, very rare occasion you got him to drink.

It always tasted horrible. No matter the different shots or mixed cocktails. God forbid a beer. You had pushed all sorts of these beverages on him, eyes crinkling up at him with amusement as his beak wrinkled from disgust.

Those nights with alcohol involved always ended strangely. Your touch would light him up from the inside. He’d want to hold you closer, lean in as far as you’d let him. Pull at your waist, dig his fingers into your hips during the last dance before the two of you had to part for the night. Those nights ended with kisses.

And by the next day you would never talk about them. So he didn’t either. Even as his murky memory of all other events seemed to part with clarity for how you had panted heat into his mouth. He’d flush dark green at just the thought and have to swallow the spit that pooled in his mouth.

This had happened a handful of times. The kissing. And with no communication whatsoever afterwards it put Donnie on edge. He wondered why it happened at all if you didn’t want to acknowledge the deed once it was done. He wondered about what it said on account of his own self worth for him to continue to let it happen.

To look forward to nights out. To nights you pushed a shot glass his way. To want your lips on his by the end of it all.

So with this big celebration, Donnie was expecting the same routine if only highlighted by the fact that both of you were now graduates. He’d be your dance partner. The two of you would spin for an hour or two, or however long you wanted. And he’d order himself a drink this time. One that he found slightly bearable than the rest.

Only, that wasn’t what was happening. Drink in hand? Sure. Your hand in his other? No. He was grumbling over at the bar shooting hateful daggers where you resided on the dance floor. You were dancing with Leo.

Donnie grimaced as he took a long hard sip. It was like acid in his mouth. Donnie didn’t know how much more he could take. His mind was simultaneously all over the place and singularly focused on one thing. You.

You laughing as Leo twirled you around. How wrong it felt to watch your arms go up and around his brother’s neck. Donnie was a better dancer. He knew in his soul that he could beat Leo in any category. Waltz, disco, salsa, you name it, Donnie could dance it. But his prowess didn’t seem to matter. Which only further incensed him. Why were you doing this? How could you possibly allow Nardo to take his place? His rightful role. Donnie was supposed to be your dance partner. And the only time you were allowed to dance with another was whenever he deigned to skip such an outing.

He was here. Dressed in an aubergine suit. Jacket button undone. And his black dress shirt was unbuttoned as well. Three buttons plucked, showing off too much skin in his opinion for such a crowd. But he had been feeling flirty. Flirty for someone who wasn’t even glancing his way.

Donnie fumed once more. Cursing in his mind as he lifted his drink and threw his head back. Maybe the taste would kill him. His eyes squeezed shut as the liquid poured down his throat and he tried not to gag. Bad decision.

When his eyes reopened it couldn’t have been at a worse moment. Leo was dipping you, his face leaning dangerously close to yours, his hand snug on your waist. Leo said something in your ear.

Maybe it was the lighting. Maybe it was the heat. But when Donnie saw your darkened cheeks, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He stormed to the dance floor. Yanking Leo’s hand away from your body once you were upright.

“What’s up hermano?” Leo’s smile was grating. Donnie had to force himself not to snarl. He took your hand and pulled you after him. Leaving Leo. Leaving this place. He had to get out of here now.

“Donnie?!” You called out over the music. But you didn’t pull away. You let him lead you out of the club. Out on the sidewalk, then off to the alleyway.

“Is everything okay?” You asked once he finally stopped. When he turned to look down at you, your eyebrows were creased with worry. Lips pulled into a line. Donnie was cracking. He couldn’t do this any longer. Did you like Leo? Did you want a ‘face man’? Was he not enough anymore? Was he being replaced? The thoughts were suffocating him and he pulled you to his plastron, backing you into the building wall simultaneously.

“I’m here, but Dee you’ve gotta say something, I’m getting worried..” You mumbled into his clothes. Your arms going around Donnie’s shell, petting over his jacket. Offering him comfort. It wasn’t enough. He huffed his frustration.

“Should I go get your brother?”

It was the wrong thing to say. And this time he did snarl.

“No.”

Your hands froze. Falling back down to your sides. You’d never heard him so angry before. He couldn’t find it within himself to care at the moment. His displeasure written all over his face as you looked up at him.

“What’s going on?”

And Donnie remembered himself thinking that so many times with you. As you had took his breath away. And then again when you pretended like you couldn’t recall ever doing so.

“Don-“

He leaned down. Capturing your lips. Kissing you like you did to him. Only where you had made him breathless, this seemed to have the opposite effect. You puffed up. Bristling in his arms as you tried shoving him away.

It hurt.

He was much stronger than you. He could overpower you easily. But your push was like a blow to the plastron. He staggered back, all anger leaving him. A husk as he squeezed his fists shut, head hanging down as you berated him.

“What the hell was that?! Are you drunk?? Donnie what is going on? If you don’t fucking say something right now, I swear to god,”

“I don’t know!” He shouted back and it was enough to quiet you.

From there it was as if his mouth couldn’t be stopped. “I don’t know! I thought this was what we did. I didn’t hallucinate those three times you kissed me. Don’t deny it any longer!” He was heaving, face coming up to stare accusingly at you.

Your lips pressed together in a thin line.

“You kissed me! Drunkenly, but it was still there. And I can’t forget. I can’t pretend they never happened. I don’t know how you can.” His hands were in motion as he ranted. Throwing them out with the building of emotion.

“So I thought tonight would be no different. We’d get drunk. We’d dance. And we’d kiss! I want all of that. Even though I’d do it without the alcohol.” His voice cracked towards the end. But he continued to push on.

“But you danced with him. So I went and got drunk enough for the both of us.” He felt pathetic admitting this out loud. He staggered forward, unable to remain so far apart. Despite you having pushed him away. He was just a moth to your flame. He’d let himself be burnt.

“You like him more?” He asked in a voice so low it practically went unheard. His hand came up, a finger tracing down the side of your cheek.

“Is that it? Am I the second choice?” His lids lowered in time as he ran out of skin to skim. His hand fell away from your face but he had crowded you close to the wall once more. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

“That’s not true.” You exasperated. But that hardly cleared up anything for him. If that was the case then what were you doing dancing with his brother and not him? Why couldn’t he kiss you? Why were the both of you still pretending to be friends?

“Then pick me. Choose me.” Donnie pleaded. He didn’t care how needy it sounded. He’d do whatever it took. Get down on his knees if he had to. Because you had become a part of his life four years ago. Four years of a presence he didn’t know he needed. Up until it was far too late. And now there was no turning back. He’d be damned if he let you get away.

[redstarwriting]

the clash | vii. i wanna be sedated

hobie brown x goth!reader

word count: 2k

genre: enemies to lovers

warnings: language, insults, you(?) hating hobie, anxious hobie, panic attacks, mentions of death, threat of main character death, giving blood, negative self-talk, ANGST

a/n: another short one, but that’s because it’s about to get intense. there’s a possibility the series may be ending within the next two chapters, but we shall see what happens! please enjoy this one, and i promise it won’t be all angst the rest of the time lmao there will be a pay off, next chapter should be LONG and give a smidge of happiness

previous chapter: vi. (with someone you shouldn’t’ve)

now reading: vii. i wanna be sedated

next chapter: viii. love you to death

───────────────────────────────────

Hobie stares at Miguel. He can see his lips moving, but he can’t hear what he’s saying. All he can hear is his heartbeat and the blood rushing to his head. Kill? This other version of him was meant to kill you. Does that mean he’s going to kill you now that he killed him? No. No that can’t happen. He won’t let it happen.

“HOBIE!”

Hobie realizes he’s gripping the desk in front of him. His eyes are wide, and his heart is beating faster than he has ever felt it beat before. He clenches and unclenches his jaw, swallowing nothing. His throat is dry. Miguel hesitantly places a hand on his shoulder. “Hobie, can you hear me?” He nods, staring ahead of him at his hands. “I think I might know what you’re thinking. You won’t kill them. You aren’t going to take the place of Hobart on their world,” he assures him, and Hobie tries to control his shaky breathing. “You have to calm down,” Miguel says in probably the gentlest voice Hobie has ever heard from him. He forgets he’s a dad sometimes. And that he also has gone through some shit. He nods again, trying to take in what Miguel just said. He accidentally snaps two pieces off the desk with how hard he’s gripping it. He closes his eyes and takes a breath. “You were trainin’ ‘em to stop him.”

Miguel nods. “I was.”

“Does that mean I can still save ‘em?” Hobie looks at him, and Miguel sighs. “Maybe… but–”

“But what?” Hobie frantically asks, and Miguel frowns. “The Venom symbiote was supposed to take over as the Spider-Person for their world as Hobie Brown… if we defeat Venom…”

“Please don’t tell me…” Hobie whispers, and Miguel nods. “There is a 100% chance their world will collapse. It’s the final canon even in (Y/n)’s story.”

“No…” Hobie shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, there has to be a way! We can do somethin’!”

“Hobie…” Miguel starts, but Hobie turns his head towards him, suddenly angry. Ready to fight. “And you were just gonna let this bloody shit happen?! You care so fuckin’ much about the fuckin’ canon that–”

“HOBIE. No! I wasn’t going to let it happen. Why do you think I put so much time and effort into helping them?! I’ve been trying to fix it!” Miguel yells, “I know you might find it hard to believe but I’m not a fan of an evil symbiote taking over the world of someone I’ve been mentoring for the past month.” Hobie looks down again. “What if they just… stayed with me? In my world?” “Hobie, if their world disappears, they disappear,” Miguel explains and Hobie shakes his head. “No. Find out a way to make ‘em stay! You can do that! You have tech and all the shit to do it! We can save ‘em!” Hobie is screaming at this point, and Miguel stares at him for a moment. He sighs, rubbing his face, distressed. “There… might actually be a way,” he says. Hobie nearly falls to his knees. “How?”

“I’ve been developing something to change the genetic code of someone, making them appear like they belong in another universe. My thought process behind it is if Miles did it with the spider from Earth-42, we can do it here as well,” he explains, typing something into his computer. Hobie watches the screens. He reads everything happening in front of him, but it’s a little hard at this particular moment as it feels like everything is kind of crashing down around him. He is able to get some basic information on how Miguel would do this, though. “We’d just need somethin’ from my world, then?” he asks, and Miguel nods. “Yes… but unfortunately the process can be… painful.”

“How painful?” Hobie asks, and Miguel glances at him. “Are you willing to do anything to save them?”

“Yes!” Hobie says, and Miguel nods. “We tested it on inanimate objects until we were sure it would work, then we tested it on animals. And while it always turns out fine in the end… the process is difficult to watch. Their molecules will be rearranged and changed, tearing them apart and piecing them back together. Can you sit by and watch that happen to them?” Miguel asks, and Hobie gulps. “I can try…”

Miguel holds up a smaller device, showing it to Hobie. “What you do is you take anything from your universe, inanimate, and put it in here. I’ll also need a blood sample from you.” Hobie then notices that he’s still gripping the pieces of the desk in his hands. He opens his hands, and the remains of the desk fall out of them and onto the floor. Miguel hands the device over, and Hobie holds it, tossing it back and forth in his hands. “What do I do with this?” “I just told you,” Miguel says, glancing at him. Hobie stares at the little device in his hands. Right. He did just tell him. He hasn’t felt this scatterbrained in a long time. He takes off one of his pins from his vest, sticking it inside. It whirs and shuts tightly. Miguel takes it back from him and nods. “This should work perfectly. Now, I need some blood from you. We’ll perform a blood transfusion with the blood from your world to stabilize them as the genetic splicing takes place, luckily with the technology we have here on Earth-2099, the transfusion should take no longer than 3 minutes,” Miguel explains, as he begins walking toward his lab. Hobie follows him, quieter than he’s ever been in his entire life. Miguel glances back at him. “Are you okay to give some blood?”

“Yeah. Should be nothin’,” he mumbles and Miguel nods.

Miguel motions him to sit in a chair so he could get some blood from him. He sits. “You know, this is the first time you’ve done what I’ve said without fighting me on it,” Miguel says as machines start up, preparing Hobie’s arm for blood extraction. Hobie scoffs. “Come off it, mate,” he mumbles and Miguel shrugs. “I’m just saying.”

“I’m still Spider-Man. I can be responsible or whatever,” Hobie says as the machine takes some of his blood. “Mhm. Apparently, you can,” Miguel says, and he looks at him. “So, you like them, huh?”

“What?”

“(Y/n)? You actually ended up liking them?” Miguel asks again, and Hobie shrugs one shoulder slightly. “Guess so,” Hobie mumbles, and Miguel shakes his head. “The blood extraction should be done soon. How are you feeling?”

“Bloody brilliant,” he mumbles, and then sees Miguel’s face. “Buck up, bloke. I’m fine,” he answers and Miguel nods. “I’ll get everything ready. Bring them here, and we’ll figure out the rest. If it’s the worst case scenario, let me know. I’ll send back-up.”

Hobie stands, giving Miguel a nod, and walks out of the lab. The blood extraction did make him a little light-headed, but he doesn’t have the time to sit around and wait to feel better. He’s lost in his thoughts. He let his anger get the best of him, and in doing so, put you in danger. That was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to protect you and getting that asshole out of the way was the best way to do it. He thought it was the best way, at least. But it turns out that that asshole was him. And now you’re in even more danger than you were before. If that symbiote bonds with you… He doesn’t wanna think about it. Symbiotes can fuck up a host. He’s seen it happen. He doesn’t want you to have to go through any of that. And to top it all off, Miguel was saying how dangerous this symbiote is. Does that mean if it bonds with you, it’ll kill you? And is it like his symbiotes where noises drive it crazy? How did he fuck up this bad? 

He's torn out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. “Hobie! Hey!” Gwen yells, landing next to him. “Alright?”

“I’m good. You should have seen it, Miles, Pav, and I took down Doc Ock after he escaped from prison, it was crazy. We could have used you and (Y/n),” she starts rambling off and he just listens. “Sounds great,” he mumbles, and she raises an eyebrow at him. “You okay? You seem a little… down.”

“’m fine,” he mumbles, and she doesn’t believe him, but she knows he’ll talk about it when he’s ready. Miles and Pavitr appear shortly after, talking to each other about how they did a move together that was ‘so cool!’ and how they need to show Hobie it as soon as they can. “Right, great talkin’ to you all, but I have to go visit (Y/n),” Hobie says, fiddling with his watch to open a portal to your world. “Oh, are you guys on speaking terms again? About damn time,” Miles says, and Pav leaps up and down with a little clap. “Have the two of you accepted your feelings for each other yet?” Pav asks, and Hobie just glances at him, not saying anything. Usually, he would tell him to piss off. But he’s not about to do that when he did realize his feelings for you. So he just stays quiet.

The three of them look at each other with wide eyes as Hobie steps through the portal and into your world without a word.

As soon as he’s back, the air feels a little… different. Maybe it’s just him coming to terms with what he’s done, though. He’s unsure how much time has passed since he left, but a quick glance at the grandfather clock in the corner of your room tells him he’s been gone about three hours or so. He hears a soft meow and looks to see Shadow peeking out from behind a small crack between the wall and your fridge. “Hey, Shadow,” he says, crouching down and holding his hand out. Shadow cautiously approaches him, sniffing his fingers before walking into his hand. He pets him and looks around. “(Y/n)!” he calls your name but gets no response. Strange.

He hears another meow and looks down at Shadow who is staring at your balcony doors. The curtains have been pulled over them, but he can see that one is open from the wind blowing the curtain inside. He sees the silhouette of someone on your balcony, but if it was you, you would have been saying something to him by now.

He gets a bad feeling.

He slowly stands, and Gwen, Miles, and Pavitr end up coming through the portal. “Shh,” Hobie says, holding up his hand and pulling his mask over his face. The three of them glance at each other as they realize something is wrong, too. Hobie slowly walks toward your balcony doors, pushing the curtain out of the way and seeing your form facing out towards the city. You seem to be in your suit, as you’re shrouded in black from head to toe. But it looks like a new suit. Pav, Miles, and Gwen follow him, on edge the whole time. He stares at you for a moment, but you stay still.

“(Y/n)?” he says your name, and he sees your head tilt slightly, signifying you heard him. “Is that��� you…?” he asks. You turn slowly. His eyes widen and his heart drops. He was too late. He sees a toothy grin spread across what was supposed to be your mask and clenches his fists as he hears Venom laugh. “(Y/n) can’t come to the phone right now,” Venom says, their otherworldly voice causing the four spiders to prepare for the worst. “But I would like to thank you, Hobie Brown, for freeing me of my constraints.”

Hobie has a flashback to his fight with himself. “The glass…” he mutters, and Venom lets out a laugh. He feels the world close in on him. His hands shake. He was too late. You were already taken over by Venom. As if reading his thoughts, Venom smiles at him, muttering the words that make his heart stop.

“You led me to them.”

───────────────────────────────

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[star-light-imagines]

Can you make bakugou meeting his future son?

I imagine he has a son just like he is

✧. ┊ Thank you for the request! This was really fun to put together, I hope you enjoy it as much as I had writing it.

✧. ┊ Also to everyone who enjoyed the Daddy? post, It will be getting a part two soon and possibly a part three & four for pro hero's and villains. (More notes on this in A/N at the end.)

Like Father, Like Son.

┊͙✧˖*° Includes- katsuki bakugou x reader. future son. class 1-A. fluff. comfort. mini bakugou. cute dad moments. bonus content.

┊͙✧˖*° Warnings- gn! reader mentioned. excessive cussing. season five spoilers.

┊͙✧˖*° Word Count- 10,313

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

The days still grew cold as winter was slowly turning into spring, the wind would howl in his ears and his cheeks would turn numb from exposure while he protrolled with Endeavor, Shoto, and Deku. Bakugou shivered as ducked his face into the high collar of his hero costume, attempting to block the direct hit from the bitter chill as he propelled himself through the air with his explosions.

Endeavor suddenly landed onto a high building roof while he surveyed the area around him, the three interns quickly caught up and each landed onto the roof with heavy feet. Silence filled the air as their eyes darted rapidly trying to find the next emergency they would rush off to before Endeavor could.

"You three still can't beat me to the scene. Heh." He scoffed as he glanced over his shoulder at them.

Katsuki's anger bubbled over, ears red and numb from the wind blowing around them. His crimson eyes flared with the frustration that was running through his veins.

" I HATE THE WINTER! IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS GODDAMN COLD I WOULD BE OUT TIMING YOU IN SPEED OLD MAN!"

Shoto and Deku watched as Bakugou continued to let out the built up frustration he had been compressing the last few days. Endeavor sighed at the sight, his demeanor grew more intimidating as he waited for the ashy blonde to finish his unsightly temper tantrum.

Were these boys really Shoto's friends?

Bakugou heaved, angrily breathing in air while he calmed down, his clenched jaw relaxing as silence surrounded them. Endeavor clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning his back on him once more to look at the people below.

"Are you done with that childish rant? I've already told you don't make cold weather an excuse for you falling short. Figure out a way to get stronger."

Bakugou scoffed but stayed silent as he listened to the number one hero. The three boys watched him with intent analyzing his actions and the city that surrounded them, before Endeavor's stern voice cut through the air once more.

"You have been tasked with defeating a villain faster than I can, of course I'm not going to make it easy for you otherwise you wouldn't learn anything."

Determination rose in the boys at the words, the fire under their drive to beat him being furiously relit. Endeavor jumped off the side of the building propelling himself towards the next crisis, the interns eagerly running and throwing themselves into the air after him. Bakugou was right behind his mentor, nearly at his heels as the corner of his mouth quirked up a wide smirk forming. His palms crackled loudly, bursting more explosions from his hands in order to close the gap between him and the number one hero ahead of him. He felt the heat rise throughout his body as his hands simmered under the gloves, finally warming him up in the cold as he raced towards the target.

I'm almost there, just have to push a little bit more.

A dim light fading out in a passing alleyway caught the corner of his eyes, He squinted while he glanced at Endeavor who was still heading fast towards the original crime scene. Bakugou's thoughts gnawed on him as he tried to ignore the light he had seen, but something was telling him he needed to turn around and investigate. He tried to fight the urge, he was so close to victory and finally fulfilling the task he had been given at the start of their internship.

He glowered at himself as he slowed his pace and turned back towards the alleyway, Shoto and Deku exchanged a wide eyed expression as they called out to him briefly, stopping in confusion at his actions.

"Bakugou! Where are you going?!"

Bakugou didn't stop to answer their calls, nor did he spare them another glance as he made his way towards the now faded light. Shoto and Deku worried on who to follow before ultimately deciding to trust him with what he was doing while they continued to follow Endeavor.

His expression dulled as the alleyway came back into view, he surveyed the area as his feet landed loudly on the concrete. He kept his guard up as he took in his surroundings, the alleyway seemed deserted but he wasn't going to take a chance at being unprepared for an attack. His pupils flared and eyebrows furrowed as he heard movement from further down, a scowl returned to his features as voice rang out echoing off the walls loudly.

"HEY BASTARD! GET THE HELL OUT HERE BEFORE I DRAG YOU OUT, YOU GODDAMN COWARD!" Bakugou demanded.

He heard feet shuffling from the side of the dumpster a few feet away from him, His hands crackled in anticipation as he readied himself for a fight.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He cursed, his lips drew back in snarl as he took in the figure in front of him.

A six year old boy stood there in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, his thoughts raced through protocols on missing children as he leered down at the kid.

"Damn! What's your name kid?" He asked, his tone going softer as the rush of adrenaline dwindled down.

The boy kept his face lowered towards the ground, ashy blonde hair covering his eyes as his body visibly shivered from the cold. Annoyance rose within him as he waited for the kid to answer, clicking his tongue when it was obvious he wasn't going to receive one.

"Hey, you don't know how to talk or something?! If you want help, answer otherwise stop wasting my time and leave." A vein popped out of his neck as he spat harshly.

Another breeze blew through the alleyway causing the boy to shudder and wrap his arms around his torso. His face looked up suddenly, eyes still closed with the faintest sign of tear streaks running down his cheeks, his eyebrows furrowed tensely as he shouted out.

"KATSURO BAKUGOU! YOU ASSHOLE!"

Katsuki's body tensed, the color drained out of his face as the name echoed into his ears. His hands clenched, nails digging into his palms hard enough to rip through his gloves. His mind reeled at the information, crimson eyes darted quickly over the boy's physical features and appearance.

Could it be a coincidence? Was Bakugou a common last name and what about how he looks... he's practically...?

"Why are you silent after yelling so much you jerk?! Are you even a real hero?! My daddy said 'extras' like you should all go to hell!" The boy ranted angrily, finally opening his eyes to meet the hero standing in front of him.

Recognition dawned on the tiny face as bright e/c eyes started deeply into his crimson ones. His mouth hung wide open before he quickly slammed it shut and his awe was turned to anger, his tiny fist clenched at his sides as he snarled up at Katsuki.

"Daddy! Why are you playing such a dirty prank?! Wandering off this time wasn't even my fault, so stop being a jerk. "

"HUH?"

Katsuki's mind froze the moment the boy addressed him as daddy, his whole body went cold as he tried to process the information.

"This isn't funny anymore! Let's go home!"

"Kid, I don't know what's going but I'm for sure not-" Katsuki paused upon seeing the look of fear in the child's eyes as he willed himself to push back the unshed tears.

God damnit! I can't just leave him here on the street.

He kneeled down and quickly grabbed the boy and easily threw him over his shoulder. The boy let out a shocked gasp and Katsuki started walking down the alleyway towards the street.

"What are you doing?" Katsuro asked while he looked around his surroundings.

"Taking you somewhere warm."

"Took you long enough."

"Shut Up Runt!"

"You shut up Old Man!"

"HEH!" Katsuki scoffed, growing annoyed at the boy over his shoulder.

An idea swept through his mind briefly before moved his grip towards the boy's ankles and dragged him off his shoulder to instead leave him dangling in the air. The child gasped in shock from the sudden movement as his head was now dangling above the concrete.

"I dare you to say it again." Katsuki sneered, taking pleasure in the brief look of fear that flickered over the boy's features.

The boy twisted around to where he was facing Bakugou before lifting his palms in frustration. Bright explosions crackled and popped in the six years old hands as he swung towards the man holding him, one small explosion managing to actually hit him. However, due to the low impact power, it didn't do anything to him other than cause him to pause at the realization that the boy had the same quirk, no had his quirk.

The civilians that walked around them gawked and gossiped in shock at the abrasive way he was handling the child, he huffed out in annoyance before readjusting his grip on the kid and holding him properly in his arms.

"I don't need you to carry me! I can walk on my own!" He huffed, puffing out his cheeks in frustration at being carried like a child.

"You'll slow me down."

"Heh! You're the one who is slow, asswipe."

Bakugou's steps paused for a moment as his eye twitched in anger, before he compressed the feeling down.

I've never wanted to beat up a child more than I do right now.

Katsuro continuously glanced at Bakugou throughout the walk, taking in the features that were so similar and yet so different from his father at the same time. His mind buzzed while it searched for an explanation in the hero's features.

"What?!" Bakugou sneered, noticing the boy looking at him carefully with furrowed brows.

"Did you get hit by a quirk? Why do you look like your high school yearbook picture?"

Bakugou remained silent to the child's question, his eyebrows furrowed as he pieced together information. This kid was to similar too him, looked too much like him to not be related by blood. The quirk alone convinced him of that fact as if the spiked ashy blonde hair and facial features wasn't enough. This was his child from the future, and for an unknown reason he had shown up in the past. He had gotten lucky to briefly notice the light in the alleyway and find the child, it had his thoughts going on haywire.

If someone had known I was going to be there, it would make sense why I was able to find him rather than someone else.

The thoughts did nothing to settle his restless state of mind, it only caused him to become more anxious and in need of answers.

The silence that remained between the two seemed to answer Katsuro's question even though Bakugou hadn't verbally replied. He turned his head away, sadness clouded his features as he pieced together the information he had and the moments leading up to appearing in the alleyway.

"I'm in the past, aren't I?"

"Yeah." He mumbled back.

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Bakugou saw Endeavor and the others in the distance, he used his quirk to propel him into the air, closing the gap quickly between them all while the boy excitedly laughed as the wind blew through his hair. The number one hero eyed the boy with a suspicious gaze before placing a stern pointed glare at his intern.

"You disappeared." He noted flatly.

"Keh! I saw something you missed, an abandoned kid in an alleyway. So much for being able to notice everything even before it happens huh?" The explosive blonde mocked.

"And you didn't feel the need to report your whereabouts to anyone?"

"Would have taken too long. What's the problem? I'm here now aren't I?"

Endeavor sighed deeply while closing his eyes in frustration, already growing tired of the conversation. When his eyes reopened he focused them on the ashy blonde boy who had climbed out of Bakugou's arms and jumped onto the concrete beside him. The resemblance between the two was shocking, if it weren't for the e/c eyes the boy would have been a miniature clone of Bakugou and the thought alone was unsettling for the number one hero.

"Who is the kid?"

Bakugou tensed slightly before quickly regaining composure, however the slight slip didn't go unnoticed by Endeavour. He let out a harsh breath and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, preparing himself as well as the rest of the group for his next words.

"This is my son-"

"YOU HAVE A CHILD!? IN HIGH SCHOOL!? HOW IRRESPONSIBLE! SHOTO I DON'T CONDONE YOU BEING FRIENDS WITH THIS DELINQUENT!" Endeavor raged, interrupting Bakugou.

"SHUT UP!" Bakugou continued.

"This is my son from the future."

Crimson eyes meet turquoise as Bakugou and Endeavor glared at each other in a silent battle, sharp gasps filled the air at the reveal as Shoto and Deku processed the information.

"Convenient."

"Whatever Old Man, like I need to explain anything to you."

Katsuro had observed the interaction's in amusement, a bright smirk formed on his lips as he laughed happily. Deku had managed to regain his composure from the sudden shock of his childhood friend suddenly appearing with a future child and had made his way over to Katsuro, a gentle smile on his lips as he kneeled down to the boy's height and waved in greeting.

"Hello! I'm Izuku Midoryia, but you can call me Deku. What's your name?"

"Katsuro Bakugou! Are you really Deku?" He questioned.

"Yes, is there something wrong?" Deku anxiously replied.

"The Deku in the future is way cooler."

"Wha-" Deku stuttered before being interrupted.

"Heh?" Bakugou scoffed, instantly irritated at the boy's words.

"Deku? Cool?"

"Deku is the greatest! Unlike you Mr. Number Two! No matter how much trouble he's in, he's always the winner and that's why he's my favorite hero. I'm going to be just like him when I grow up and become the number one hero myself!" Katsuro said confidently.

Bakugou's eyebrow twitched, crimson eyes flashed with anger as he glared at the green haired boy still kneeled on the ground. Miniature explosion's crackled in his palms as he clenched his hands, nails digging into his palms once more while his breath quickened.

Wide green eyes glanced up to see the fuming blonde at his side, he nervously backed away from him while he tried to form words but all that came out of his mouth were anxious stammers and incomplete sentences. The blonde lunged at him suddenly, explosion's bursting from his palms that he aimed for Deku's face while he narrowly dodged the attack, the hit grazed his face causing his mask to rip. Endeavor reacted quickly, restraining the explosive blonde and barking out orders that the team is returning back to headquarters for the day.

Katsuro walked beside Endeavor towards the car that was awaiting them, his arms animated as he punched the air while talking about old fight's he had seen of the current number one hero. Bakugou grumbled as he walked beside Shoto and Deku, he lowered his gaze towards the ground in annoyance as his feet continued to harshly stomp the concrete beneath him.

"You know his e/c eyes remind me of someone."

Shoto's sudden voice broke him out of his thoughts, he glanced over at the boy with a glare as he took in the thoughtful expression on his face and furrowed eyebrows.

"Like I care Icy-hot. Deku! Don't think you're better than me just because of what he said, that's still years away and I can change it. I won't lose to you!"

"Okay Kacchan, I won't lose to you either!" Deku Agreed with a smile before continuing "You know, Katsuro is so much like you."

"No shit, he's my kid. We are practically identical."

"I'm not just talking about his looks. What he said about me, well no what he said about the number one hero and why he's the best. It's almost exactly what you said when we were kids, I see a lot of your drive and confidence in him." He said, awe taking over his features as he spoke.

Bakugou remained quiet for a moment as they walked in silence, his spiky hair covering his expression as he continued to look away from the two boys. His neck burned slightly from the rising heat coursing through his body while the tips of his ears turned a slight shade of pink.

"Shut up and die." He barked out with annoyance.

"Hopefully he doesn't take after Bakugou when it comes to his attitude." Shoto added with a playful smirk formed on his lips.

Laughter filled the air around them as the boys went back and forth with remarks and lightheartedly mocking each other. The tension from earlier had finally dissipated from the group as they descended into the car.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

The agency was a safe haven compared to the bitter winter that still raged on outside. The heat instantly warmed up the group as they stepped inside, Katsuro's shivers halted as he began to relax in the cozy heat of the building.

"I can't believe you let your son stay out in the cold for so long without a jacket." Shoto chastised.

"I'm not the one who dressed him dumbass!"

"Still, you couldn't give him your own?"

"Stop telling me what to do!"

Bakugou's eyes found the ashy blonde hair of his son who was happily running around the lounge area. A few sidekicks would share a glance as their eyes darted between the similarities of him and Katsuro, which he would return with heated glare at the noisy employees.

The other sidekicks happily welcomed the child with no questions asked, greeting him with waves and doting on the boy as he introduced himself as the next number one hero confidently. Every so often when he wanted more attention drawn to him, he would show off his quirk and crackle the mini explosions in his palms for the viewer's around him.

"Woah! What a great quirk!"

"You're right! You will definitely be the next number one hero with a quirk like that."

"How flashy!"

Bakugou raked his fingers through his hair as he watched his son be praised for his quirk and the smile that was plastered happily on his face. His thoughts flew back to when he had manifested his quirk and had received just as many compliments that raised his ego growing up.

My mom always said when I had kids they would dish out to me twice as much as I did to her....

....I just wasn't expecting to suffer the consequences so soon.

"Katsuro, why are you wearing summer clothes in the winter?" Deku questioned.

"It was summer before I came here."

Endeavor glanced at the boy, thoughts raced through his mind as his eyes darted towards Bakugou taking in the furrowed eyebrows and his clenched fists from across the room. He shook tiredly before his voice echoed throughout the room as he spoke, the conversations around him stopping instantly.

"I think it's time we understand exactly what's going on here."

Silence filled the air as the tension rose in the room, Endeavor stiffly sat on the couch as he motioned for Katsuro to sit on the couch across from him. Bakugou saw the hesitation that flickered in the boy's eyes and quickly scoped him into his arms before playing him on the couch and taking the empty seat next to him.

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He stroked his beard in thought as the boy continued sharing his memory of the morning before arriving in the alleyway, listening to every detail and examining it.

Bakugou raked his fingers through his hair as he processed the information eagerly being told by his future son. His eyes glanced tentatively toward Katsuro who had risen from his seat in excitement as he talked about his family members' quirks as well as his own.

"Aunt Chihiro was babysitting me since both my parents had to go out to face villains!" He said animatedly "My cousin Suzume and I were playing near the house, there is a big tree that is like a bridge over a small river. Her foot slipped, I went to reach for her but when I did a bright light shot out at me."

"How old is your cousin?" Endeavor asked deep in thought.

"She just turned five a few months ago."

"Hmm."

Shoto stepped closer as he let out a harsh breath, his eyes briefly made contact with Bakugou before glancing over towards Endeavor.

"It sounds like her quirk activated out of fear, but still a time travel quirk and it was her first time using it...There's not a lot of information to go on regarding when he will go back."

Bakugou rubbed his forehead in frustration at Shoto's words, he had already pieced together that information and to have him repeat it out loud irked him. His crimson eyes glanced down towards the boy now sitting beside him again, he didn't look worried or scared about the possibility of staying here for an unknown amount of time which eased the weight Bakugou felt on his chest.

"Time travel quirks are extremely rare though, only a handful have been reported over generations." Deku rambled.

"It's not unheard of though, Katsuro, does your other parent have a time manipulation quirk?" Endeavor questioned.

"No, but my aunt's quirk allows her to stop or speed up time around her."

"So the kid's quirk mutated to a time travel quirk." Bakugou stated, his voice rumbling.

Since the quirk was a mutation and didn't work exactly how the mother's quirk worked, he knew that it would be harder for them to figure out how exactly the quirk worked or if the kid needed to use the quirk again to bring him back it would be unknown when he would go back home. His mind raced at the thought of having his future son with him for days, months even. Anxiety prickled up the back of his neck as he thought about being a decent father.

"It's rather lucky he ended up here and not somewhere random." Endeavor mentioned briefly while glancing at the clock on the wall.

"You're right! It must have to do with the quirk, maybe there's a limit to how far back a person can be sent? Or it will bring the person close to someone blood related to them?" Deku started to ramble.

"Well-" Katsuro started before all eyes darted towards him causing him to stop.

"Keep going kid." Bakugou encouraged while lightly ruffling his hair with his palm.

"Suzume was talking about old year books she saw of my parents before she slipped, so I think since she was thinking of that time is why I got sent here."

"Bakugou your kid is smart." Shoto said with a monotone voice.

"Of course he is, asshole, he's my son."

"I would have figured he got that aspect from your partner."

Bakugou grumbled angrily as Endeavor raised his hand, stopping the bickering from continuing. Turquoise eyes sternly trained on him as he waited in silence to fill the room again before speaking.

"I believe until he goes back home, the safest place for him to be is with you."

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The U.A. Class 1-A dormitory stood tall before them, the winter chill starting to bite at Bakugou's bare arms. His mind wandered from the upcoming events of seeing his noisy classmates to his son and his eyes peered over at Katsuro, who was taking in the sight of the campus. The large blazer drenched over his small body in a feeble effort to fight off the cold.

Endeavor had called the school and made the principal as well as Aizawa aware of the situation, giving him as much information as they had gathered from the young boy. When the work study students had reached the front gate, they were met by the tired eyes of the eraser hero.

Shoto and Deku had followed their homeroom teacher into the dormitory willingly while Bakugou slowed his footsteps to a sudden stop. He knew that the reaction he would receive walking in with his son, and was hit with a sudden sense of dread at having to deal with his annoying classmates.

Aizawa's head peaked out from the door of the building, his eyes surveyed the area until they landed on Bakugou and Katsuro's figure. He sighed tiredly before calling out to the two still standing out in the cold.

"Come in, I already explained to your classmates briefly about Katsuro's appearance and stay in the dorms."

Bakugou caught his son's attention as he started to walk towards the building, his feet crunching along the cold grass as he did. Katsuro raced after his father, syncing his footsteps into pace with him as he got closer.

The warmth of the dormitory instantly kicked the chill that had rested over this skin, his crimson eyes quickly surveyed the lounge area as he observed his classmates' facial expressions to see his mini double.

"I heard you have a kid! Where is the cutie?!" Mina mused excitedly as she jumped to her feet.

He jerked his thumb toward the small boy standing behind him, his eyes narrowed as he watched Mina bounce on her toes as she peered behind his figure.

"OMG!" She exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Kirishima asked, surprised at her sudden outburst upon seeing the kid.

Mina launched herself towards the boy engulfing his small body in a hug as Bakugou sighed and moved out of the way, his feet led him to a resting point and he leaned against the wall.

"HE'S SO CUTE!" Mina sang.

The class gasped at the sight of the six year old boy wrapped Mina's arms, their eyes darted quickly from Bakugou to Katsuro as they took in the obvious similarities the two of them shared in appearance. The ashy blonde hair that seemed to spike in different directions, even though his son's was slightly less spiky compared to his. His lips set in a frown and sharp furrowed eyebrows matched the same expression he was wearing, and the shape of his eyes and nose were a perfect replica of his own.

Katsuro's forehead creased heavily as the arms continued to stay wrapped around him, his e/c eyes burned with frustration and annoyance at the girl beside him.

"Hey, Hag! Will you let go of me now?!" He barked, out causing the room to still in silence.

Mina's body tensed at the insult thrown at her direction, an evident line appeared between her brows as she clenched her jaw.

Bakugou couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips at his son's words. His mouth twisted upward into a smile as he quickly placed a hand over his mouth to hide his obvious amusement from the girl's chilly glare.

The student's had jerked their heads in the direction of Bakugou's laugh that broke the tense atmosphere from moments before. Mina let go of the boy and whirled towards Ochaco with a wilted expression seeking comfort.

"I can't believe he just called me a hag!" She wailed.

Krishima's red eyes wandered to Bakugou's as he sent him a questioning look at the events that just took place. The blonde lifted his shoulders in a half shrug, lowering his hand to show the blatant amused smile playing on his lips.

"Hey kid, I'm Kirishima. What's your name?" Kirishima greeted with a wave and a bright smile.

"My name is Katsuro. I already know who you are! Uncle shitty hair!" He beamed.

Another laugh escaped Bakugou as Kirishima's expression faltered slightly. The red haired boy released a harsh breath while massaging the back of his neck with his hand.

"Glad to know your nicknames live on even in the future." He remarked as he grinned towards his friend.

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Katsuro sat merrily on Kirishima's firm shoulders as he led him around the lounge to meet all the students. Bakugou watched from his spot, still leaned against the wall with crossed arms as he took in the slight dimples the boy expressed when he smiled.

His mind wandered as he thought about the few characteristics he didn't share with his son. Even though Katsuro was practically a mini clone of himself, the bright e/c eyes were a stark difference in the two. He watched the boy happily from afar as he ordered Kirishima around the room as curiosity washed over him.

"Woah! Our Bakugou is now a teenage dad, how unexpected!" Kaminari teased as he drew closer to him.

"Woah! You haven't melted your brain today, sparkplug." Bakugou mocked back.

"Ugh! Come on, you have to admit it's funny. Out of everyone here I would rank you lower on the list for the chances of being a teen parent."

Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him as Sero and Mineta wandered over to join the group.

"How so?" Bakugou questioned as he jammed his hands in his front pockets.

"Well, your attitude is so bad that it would be hard to find someone who can put up with it."

"Yeah, outside of this class you don't have any friends." Mineta added in agreement.

"Whoever it is, they must be a saint!"

Sero's eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment. "I don't think that's true, at least not anymore. Bakugou's competitive for sure and has an attitude, but he always treats his friends good!"

Bakugou's eyes widened slightly at his words before quickly hiding his shocked expression. The others seemed to nod in agreement to Sero's words, thinking back to all the times Bakugou has shown his good side.

"This is making me more curious about who the other parent could be. Do you think they go to U.A.?" Kaminari pondered.

"They obviously aren't in this class, he hasn't acknowledged anyone else as his parent besides Bakugou." Mineta chimed in.

"Ah! I Know!" Kaminari exclaimed, eyes darting towards Kirishima.

Kirishima stood beside Mina, Ochaco, Jiro and Ida as they observed Katsuro demonstrate his quirk in front of them. His palms cracked loudly like firecrackers as sparks popped brightly in the air, a rather big explosion from the six year old's hands made Ida jump back slightly.

"Your quirk is so strong for your age!" Ochaco praised.

"Don't inflate his ego more than it already is, this punk gets praised too much as it is." Bakugou called out from his place across the room, slowly making his way towards his son.

Katsuro blew out his cheeks in annoyance at his father's sudden instructions. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he glared up at Bakugou, flaring his e/c eyes.

"You jealous?! EXTRA!" Katsuro fumed.

The sudden silence that followed his remark was broken by the laughter that filled the room as the students beamed happily around them.

"Like father, like son." Sero laughed.

"HE'S JUST LIKE HIM!" Jiro voiced, another fit of laughter escaping her lips.

"It's really a mini Bakugou! He acts exactly like you!" Momo Remarked.

"How does it feel to face off against a younger version of you?" Ayoama teased.

"DIE!" Bakugou roared at his classmates, his nostrils flaring as he sent heated glares around the room.

"Bakugou! That isn't appropriate to say in front of a child!" Ida scolded.

Katsuro whirled around to face the engine hero, still heated from his father's remark from earlier.

"Shut it four eyes!"

"Uh! H-How rude!"

Bakugou annoyance simmered down at the sight of his son insulting the class rep. He let out a sharp breath as he relaxed his shoulders, his mouth twitched ever so slightly into a smirk.

The conversation moved forward as the riotous class settled down, Kaminari approached Kirishima mumbling to him as he gestured towards Bakugou and Katsuro. The red head's face lit up as he raced off to his dorm room, returning a few moments later with a book in his hand.

Kirishima placed the book on the table, opening it to the first page filled with pictures. He gestured for Katsuro to come over and when the little boy padded his feet over to him , he generously picked him up and placed him in the chair.

"What are you up to?" Bakugou questioned catching the attention of his other classmates as they pieced together the situation.

"Amajiki gave me an early edition of this year's yearbook, maybe Katsuro will recognize his other parent in here."

Katsuro flips through the pages, his eyes darted over the portraits of the current student of U.A before his eyebrows become furrowed as he gets to the end of the book.

"I don't see them here..." He mumbled

Bakugou absentmindedly placed his hand on Katsuro's bowed head, waiting a moment for the boy's e/c eyes to turn up towards him before lightly ruffling his hair with his fingers. Katsuro gazed up at him in awe before shaking his head in a feeble attempt at fixing his messed up hair. The soft gaze that greeted him when he glanced back at his father shocked him, it reminded him of how his father would look at him back home in the future and that thought comforted him.

"I'm hungry!" Katsuro stated, changing the subject, a rumble emitting from his stomach as he did.

"Who's in charge of making dinner tonight?" Bakugou questioned Kirishima.

"Pretty sure it's you and Momo."

"Huh? Me? Again?" He gritted his teeth, annoyed.

"What can I say, everyone loves your cooking!"

Bakugou sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes glanced back at his son who was watching him from his seat at the table.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Mapo Tofu!" The boy exclaimed happily, jumping down from his seat.

The corner's of his mouth turned up into a smile, a sudden jolt of happiness rushed through his body as he took in the bright smile on his son's face.

Of course, he and his son would have the same favorite food.

"Come on, you're helping." Bakugou said as he extended a hand toward his son.

Tiny fingers firmly wrapped around his hand, the two walked towards the kitchen hand in hand. The smiles on each of their faces was seen by their classmates, no one dared to ruin the bonding moment with their mocking.

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(The next few scenes are small occurrences that took place over the week.)

The next few days went by in a blur, Bakugou had quickly gotten used to being a father which had shocked his classmates. Their shock continued when they noticed how good of a father he was at that, the explosive blonde made it seem almost effortless when the two weren't taunting each other.

After seeing the two wholesomely cook dinner together, the class had decided they wanted to keep witnessing the cute bonding moments between the two. Due to that, anyone who was scheduled to prepare dinner the following days would purposely make mistakes so that Bakugou would get annoyed and take over the cooking himself.

"Is everyone here stupid?! Why can't any of you cook?! I should let you all starve!" Bakugou grumbled as he tossed the charred food from the pan into the trash.

He let out a harsh breath as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Move it, ears!" He gestured for Jiro to leave the kitchen, missing the smile that formed when she turned away from him.

"Katsuro! Come help me cook, you are more talented than anyone else here."

The small boy bolted jumped from his seat beside Deku, the movie he was watching being paused quickly before he bolted towards his father's voice. His feet pattered against the wood floors as he excitedly made his way to the kitchen.

The classmate's watched in awe at the soft gaze that overtook Bakugou's face when Katsuro entered the room. Happily observing as the two prepared dinner together, Bakugou assigned his son to wash the vegetables he placed in a bowl before handing them to him.

"We defiently need to keep doing this! Not only do we get to see him being nice, but we get good food." Kaminari whispered towards Jiro.

She nodded her head in agreement as they carefully stole glances at the father son duo in the kitchen.

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Bakugou watched Katsuro's face light up with excitement as he watched All Might appear on the screen of his computer. Bright e/c eyes observed in wonder as the retired number one hero saved the day once again in the old clip.

"You know, Deku and I had to fight him in order to pass our final exam."

"What?! No way?! Did you lose?"

"HAH! As if your father would lose!"

Katsuro's laughter rang in his ears as he looked down at the kid sitting in his lap, a lopsided grin formed on his lips at the sight. His eyes wandered to the boy's shoulder where a piece of lint had caught his gaze.

"Well, he almost killed us. I'm pretty sure he broke some bones in Deku's spine during that fight." He picked the piece of lint from his shoulder as he continued.

"Even with quirk restrictors on, he had managed to destroy a whole city street with one punch." He absentmindedly rattled on as he remembered that day.

"That sounds..." Katsuro trailed off.

"Intense?, Cool?"

"Scary..."

"Yeah, it was. Good thing he was the symbol of peace right?"

"Right!"

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Bakugou watched with tired eyes as Katsuro played another round of Uno with Tsukuyomi in the lounge. The sky had turned dark and Bakugou had already gotten himself and his son ready for bed, all that was left was getting his hyperactive kid into his dorm. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes, his body starting to feel heavy and in desperate need of sleep.

"I win." Tsukuyomi stated calmly.

Katsuro grumbled with frustration as he stacked the cards for another round to begin, Bakugou quickly called out to his son to stop him from starting another match.

"It's time for bed, let's go!"

"But it's only 9 pm!"

"What's your point?" He raised an eyebrow at the kid's frustrated expression.

"Can't you let me stay up to play some more?!"

"Revelry in the dark." Tsukuyomi chimed in suddenly.

"Revelry in the dark!" Katsuro cheered happily repeating his words.

Bakougou swooped the boy into his arms, his eyebrows furrowed angrily as he glared at his bird-like classmate.

"Don't teach him that shit!" He barked.

He angrily stomped to his room with Katsuro thrown over his shoulder.

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Kirishima and Deku tried to control their whispered voices as they glanced back at the couch in the lounge. They both had been the first ones to wake up that morning and when they came down stairs from their dorm's they were surprised at the sight that greeted them.

Bakugou was sleeping soundly on his back, Katsuro just as peacefully sleeping with his head on his father's chest. A remote lightly gripped in one of Bakugou's hands while the once was placed protectively over the small figure laying on top of him.

Kirishima and Deku shared a glance as they each pulled out their phones, eagerly taking a photo of the two sleeping peacefully on the couch together.

Deku's camera had let out a loud shutter noise as he took the photo, instantly grimacing at the fact he forgot to mute his phone's noise effects.

The noise had made Bakugou's eyebrows furrow as he blinked his eyes open, trying to adjust to the bright light in the room. His eyes surveyed the lounge, settling on Kirishima and Deku with their phones still pulled up and pointed in his direction making his eyes widen slightly.

"RUN!" Kirishima blurted before running down the hallway.

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The day's had passed quickly and it was time for the work study students to return to their agencies. The winter chill had stalled as the weather was warmer and not as frigid as the previous weeks. Bakugou was excited to go patrolling, confident that with the warmer weather that he would beat Endeavor to the crime scenes.

However, when they arrived at the agency he had stated they would be using the training room while he went out on his own, causing Bakugou to grumble in frustration.

"He's doing this on purpose! He knows I'll beat him today, that bastard!"

Shoto stopped training suddenly from across the room to stare at him blankly.

"I believe the more likely reason is that you have a six year old with you who can't go on patrol."

Bakugou grunted angrily under his breath as he made his way from the training machines to the weights where Katsuro sat watching Deku train eagerly.

"Deku! Do something cool!" Katsuro cheered.

"HEH! What's so good about him?" Bakugou mocked, while he cocked head up.

"What? are you jealous number 2?" He taunted slyly, his e/c eyes twinkling with mischief.

Bakugou's eyebrow twitched at the mocking attitude thrown his way, his nostrils flared as his hands tightened into fists at his sides. He jerked his head in the direction of the dark green haired boy who was lifting weights.

"Deku - get over here - before I kill you." Bakugou gritted out between clenched teeth.

The hand weights were placed on the ground gently, careful not to drop them under Bakugou's rage-filled glare. He swiftly made his way over to the father/son duo, a nervous smile formed on his lips as he drew in closer to the two.

"Was there something you needed kacchan?" He questioned, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Bakugou's mouth twitched as he cackled at his nervous behavior.

"Katsuro here was just telling me how great you were and said he wanted you to show him something cool." He jeered.

"O-Oh, well thank you Katsuro. I don't think I have anything amazing to show you though." He placed his hand on his chin while he hummed in thought. "Hm, I have been working on black whip. Would you like to see?"

"YES!" He beamed with excitement.

The corners of Bakugou's mouth quirked up in amusement as he watched Deku prepare himself, knowing full well what was about to happen would disappoint his son. He leaned against the wall as he waited for the show to begin, crossing his arms over his chest comfortably.

A black mist formed slightly on Deku's palms, it slowly shaped itself into a line inched its way outward making it about an inch further than the day he performed it in front of Mt. Lady before it drizzled out. Deku excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet as he rambled about how it was slowly getting longer, while Katsuro's excitement fell from his face causing Bakugou's heart to ache just a bit at the sight of how disappointed he was.

"Disappointed in your favorite hero?" He mocked lightly.

"No!"

"Keh, sure you ain't."

"Whatever! Deku might be a loser now, but he's cool in the future."

"Hm, that's a bit-" Deku sadly began before being interrupted.

"How is he better than me?!" Bakugou criticized.

Katsuro pumped a tiny fist in the air as he confidently stared at the two heroes in training. His e/c eyes twinkled with newfound excitement, as a bright smile was plastered on his face.

"Uncle Deku told me he's going to give me the secret of One for-" Bakugou slapped a hand over his mouth instantly, as his eyes quickly darted around the training room.

A sharp breath released from the One for All quirk holder beside him, he ran a hand through his hair as he tried to steady his anxious heart rate from moments before. Crimson eyes looked at him with a disapproving glare as he timidly darted between confused e/c pupils and his own.

The hand dropped from Katsuro's mouth as he struggled against him with annoyance. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at Bakugou with a questioning glare and burning eyes at the fact he had been restricted.

"Idiot! Look around before announcing something private. If it's a secret, keep it a secret." Bakugou scolded lightly while jerking his head away from his son's glaring eyes.

Katsuro tensed as his ears dusted pink from embarrassment at his father's words. He ducked his head, his gaze resting on the floor as he felt the heat rush to his face. The thought of him mindlessly revealing a secret in order to boast repeated endlessly in his head, causing him to remain silent as he reflected. A firm, warm hand brushed the plaguing thoughts away as it rested on his head, gently ruffling his hair in a comforting gesture.

His e/c eyes peeked up towards the figure that stood in front of him, crimson eyes peering down at him with a softened gaze. His hand firmly ruffled his hair once more before being satisfied and pulling his arm back down to his side.

Bakugou exhaled slightly. "It's okay... Do you want to see Deku and I spar?"

"YEAH!" He exclaimed, his happy features returning to his face.

"Go wait over there, and you better cheer for me when I kick his ass." He motioned towards an open area while lightly chuckling.

Katsuro dashed away with excitement, happily preparing himself to watch the two boys spar.

"Geez! that was a close one, thank you Bakugou-" Deku began.

"Looks like even the you in the future can't keep a secret. I can't believe you told a six year old about One For All! What were you thinking, dumbass?!" Bakugou scolded with annoyance.

Deku timidly scratched his chin as he thought about his future self's actions. His eyes closed briefly as his eyebrows knitted before he anxiously smiled back at Bakugou, waiting for the scolding to finish.

"What?!" Bakugou snarled, noticing the smile directed at him.

"I was just thinking how great it is that your son is going to be the successor."

Bakugou tensed briefly before quickly recovering his composure before his childhood friend could catch the slip in emotions.

"Whatever."

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The sky turned dark as Bakugou chased the hyperactive child running around his dorm at the agency. Katsuro jumped onto the bed laughing happily as Bakugou grabbed him and lifted him up. He dramatically laid him down on the bed as the boy's laughter slowly started to die down.

"Okay, you had dinner and we got ready for bed. It's time to sleep, we have an early morning."

"We can't play a bit longer?"

"Nope! I already extended it five minutes longer the last time you asked, It's time for bed."

"Okay dad." Katsuro mumbled sleepily.

Bakugou tensed at the word he was addressed by, he still wasn't used to being called so affectionately and it shocked him every time he heard his son call out to him. His eyes softened as he looked down at Katsuro's already sleeping figure in his arms, a smile grew on his lips as he thought about the last few days he had with him.

He never expected to feel so connected to someone else before, and once he met his son he doubted he would be able to be a good father so suddenly. However, being around him felt so natural and taking care of him came effortlessly day by day. Some say it's because of how alike they are, but even though he saw all the similarities between them, he also could recognize the differences.

Deep down he wants to believe that even though his son hasn't been born just yet in this timeline and he hasn't met his future partner, that he still has an unbreakable bond that's tethered between him and his son. That there was a connection that led him to turning back the first day and finding him in the alleyway. A connection that grows stronger each day they spend together and depends on the bond between the two.

His eyelids grew heavy as he rested his head down on the pillow next to Katsuro.

"I love you." he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

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His hands absentmindedly reached across the bed, filling the empty mattress instead of Katsuro's figure beside him. He patted the empty spot beside him a few more times as anxiety started to break through his sleep filled mind.

Bakugou's eyes blinked open, adjusting to the darkness in the room, he looked towards the bathroom to see no light on underneath the door. His eyes darted across the room looking for a sign of the boy when the corner of his eyes caught it briefly.

A faint dim light barely even visible, fading away. The same light he saw in the alleyway days ago when the boy had appeared. His mind raced as he processed the turn of events in the silence of the empty room.

He's back home.

Relieve flooded his body as the weight lifted off his shoulders and he fell back onto the mattress below. His crimson eyes closed as he tried to force his mind to go back to sleep, but an aching feeling started to creep its way into his thoughts.

The silence of the empty room he now resided in became to still, his heart ached at the fact that in the morning he wouldn't get to wake up his son and see the annoyed half asleep face he makes before finally smiling brightly at seeing him and questioning what is for breakfast like he had the last week.

His mind reeled at the sudden feelings of loss as he replayed the memories he had with his son in his head.

Maybe I should have let him stay up for five more minutes so we could play a bit longer.

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The next morning the frigid weather felt as though it came back in full force. The wind blew past Bakugou's exposed ears, numbing them from the chilly cold. He groaned lowly under his breath, thick clouds of air were made visible as they wandered from his lips and out of the high collar of his hero uniform. He noticed dark green eyes would glance over at him every so often from the other side of Shoto's figure, his forehead creased in irritation at the worried glances pointed his way.

"Deku! stop fucking looking at me before you walk into a pole, dumbass." He barked.

His childhood friend's eyebrows rose in shock as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink from being caught.

"Haha, sorry kacchan! Um- just- Are you okay? You know with Katsuro being gone?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, well-"

The conversation stalled suddenly when Endeavor launched himself over the guardrail along the sidewalk, Bakugou and the others quickly moved after him as the faint sound of car siren's met their ears.

The team anxiously prepared themselves for the upcoming threat, propelling through the air while the quick scenery of the city passes by them. The sight of a car crash and a villain floating in the air appeared up ahead as they furiously raced to the scene.

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Unbeknownst to them, two figures had been watching from a rooftop building. Crimson red feathers moved slightly from the noisy disturbance down below, sharp golden eyes looking away from the book in his hand to the chaos on the streets.

"Oh, dear... such bad timing." His honey voice said playfully.

He motioned to the figure behind him as he spread his wings and prepared to descend from the roof.

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The glass villain rushed down a narrow alleyway at the sight of Endeavor, desperately fleeing to get away. Melted glass rained down to the street from the powerful maneuver the number one hero used. The team raced after the villain as they quickly rushed into the alleyway, a few villain's that had teamed up with the glass villain were waiting by the exit ready to attempt a surprise attack.

Endeavor narrowly dodged the attack as he lunged towards the villain, grasping him by the shoulders and roughly pulling him towards the concrete.

Crimson red feathers grabbed the fellow villains by the collars of their shirts and lifted them into the air. Barely a moment later a flash of ice, Deku and Bakugou had rushed past the winged hero as he caught their targets.

"Huh?" Deku mumbled in confusion when the person he was about to kick was no longer in his field of vision.

"Oh, work study students?" The winged blonde mused.

"HAWKS!?" He hesitated.

Bakugou grumbled angrily as his feet landed heavily on the ground, he pivoted with knitted eyebrows towards the number two hero who was smiling happily.

"Sorry, I was just a little faster!" The hero teased.

Bakugou glanced at Shoto and Deku as they landed, the excitement that was boiling in his veins just moments ago was quickly dying out.

"What is Hawks doing here?" Shoto questioned out loud.

"I thought Endeavor was in trouble!" Hawks chirped.

"Did it look like I was in trouble?" He scoffed.

Hawks landed swiftly in front of Shoto, a teasing smile formed on his lips as his playful eyes glanced at him.

"It did, didn't it, Shoto?"

"Sure..."

"I thought I told you to let me know when you were coming." Endeavor exhaled slightly annoyed at his sudden appearance.

Hawks golden eyes narrowed slightly before returning to their normal carefree gaze.

"Well I just happened to be in the area."

Sirens blared through the air as cop cars raced down the empty street, tires screeching as they came to a sudden stop near the scene. Endeavor and Hawks quickly brought the villains to the policemen and started to debrief them on what had occurred moments ago.

As the police moved the villains into the vehicles, Bakugou watched as Endeavor made his way towards him and the others. The winged hero walked beside him, his mouth turned in a lopsided grin as he talked.

Deku approached the two pro hero's excitedly, his body tensing as he greeted hawks.

"N-Nice to meet you! I'm in U.A Hero Course, Class 1-A. My name is Izuku Midoryia!"

"Ah! You're the kid who destroyed his fingers right? I've heard about you from Tsukuyomi."

"Oh! By the way, where is he?"

"I have him following my sidekicks today, while -" Hawks gestured towards where a work study student stood a few steps away. "Y/N is shadowing me one on one."

Bakugou's eyes widened in shock at the familiar features that greeted him, the bright e/c eyes that twinkled with happiness and the corners of your mouth being turned upwards burned into his memory over the last few days. The voices around him became background noise as his eyes trailed your every move, taking in every playful smirk and hand movement as you talked.

His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as he realized all the subtle similar features you shared with his future son, the heat rose up his neck to his face and turned the skin it touched scarlet. He quickly ducked his face beneath the high collar of his costume in an attempt to hide the growing blush as he flustered helplessly at your sudden arrival.

"Hey y/n! It's been awhile." Shoto greeted, casually.

"Hey Todoroki! Yeah it has."

Bakugou's eyes darted towards Shoto as the greeting between them had brought him out of his thoughts. He sent a pointed glare towards the icy hot classmate as his crimson red eyes met the mismatched pair of turquoise and gray.

"Bakugou, I told you I knew who the eyes reminded me of. It's y/n, we are neighbors."

"Someone had the same eyes as me?" You questioned curiously.

"Well, to be exact it was-"

"SHUT UP!" Bakugou Growled

"But-"

"I said shut your mouth, icy hot!"

Dark messy green hair shielded your view of the two bickering, a beaming smile greeted you as turned your attention towards the person now standing in front of you.

"Don't pay attention to them y/n. It's nice to meet you, I'm Izuku Midoryia or you can call me Deku."

"Nice to meet you. Um, do they do that all the time?" You questioned while stealing a glance at the two.

"Haha, sometimes... Wait, you go to Shiketsu right? I'm pretty sure I saw you at the provisional license exam."

"Yeah! I'm a first year, but I was able to take the test early with the second years."

The bickering grew louder as crackles popped and simmered in the explosive blonde's hand. Bakugou suddenly turned his head towards you and Deku and angrily barked.

"Deku! What are you saying over there huh?!"

"N-Nothing I swear!"

You tilted your head as confusion took over your features at the interaction around you.

"Bakugou greet them, you're being rude." Shoto scolded.

"Don't tell me what to do."

Golden and Turquoise eyes watched the group from a few steps away, a smile twisted its way onto Hawks face as he let out a fit of laughter. Endeavor let out a harsh breath as he sighed, he shook his head downward at the sight.

"Hm, what's all that about?" Hawks quipped.

He rolled his tense shoulders. "Don't ask."

"It looks like one of your work study students fell for one of mine." He said in a sing-song voice. "Maybe we should drop by more often if it's this entertaining to watch them interact."

"I would prefer if you didn't"

Bakugou's voice suddenly broke their conversation, their attention being drawn back to the crimsoned eyed blonde.

"Earlier, I was faster than you!" He yelled as he glared towards Hawks.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

✧ ˚ · . Bonus Scene:

That day turned into night as the long patrol ended for the Endeavor agency students. The team stood outside a restaurant waiting for the arrival of Hawks and his students. After the chaos that happened that morning, it was eagerly decided upon by most of the members that a joint dinner would be a good bonding moment for everyone.

Crimson feathers came into sight as Hawks landed swiftly in front of the group, Tsukuyomi and you landing close by shortly after. You greeted the group with a wave as your feet wandered closer to the three boys.

Shoto and Deku eagerly greeted Tsukuyomi, while Bakugou awkwardly stood next to you. His hands stuffed into his pant pockets and face turned away from you as he watched his classmates.

"Don't tell Hawks I'm saying this, but you're right. You were just as fast as him earlier and just barely missed him." You say breaking the silence.

"Heh. I Know."

"What's it like working beside Endeavor?"

"He's a jerk, but he's the number one hero so I want to learn how he handles things."

You let out a lighthearted laugh, the corners of your eyes crinkled as you smiled brightly at him. He stared at you, his eyes softening slightly before he glanced away composing himself. His eyes wandered back to you, a faint touch of pink dusted his ears as he continued the conversation.

You two talked back and forth over a variety of topics, training, school, family before the group was alerted that the table was ready. His pace was steady beside you as the two of you walked behind the rest of the group into the restaurant.

"Do you have a sister named Chihiro?" Bakugou asked, catching you off guard.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"When you have kids in the future, don't let them babysit."

"W-What?!" You stammered, your step faltering.

Bakugou continued to walk ahead of you, his eyes trained on the group ahead of him and refusing to look back. The back of his neck burned as the pink that dusted his ears grew rapidly.

"You can't just walk away without explaining that?!" You exclaimed while walking faster to catch up to him, desperately trying to sync your footsteps once more.

"I'm pretty sure what I said is easy enough to understand."

His head jerked towards you, his chin lifted upwards slightly as a smirk played on his lips.

"Maybe for you, but I would like some more context."

His eyes over your head for a moment before crimson returned to meet e/c once more. His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he pondered his next words, his mouth opened slightly as he took in a quick breath.

"Friday, 5 pm at Ootoya."

You tensed in response, the quickening of your heart beat drumming in your ears as you process the words he said. He grumbled slightly under his breath at the lack of response and the shocked look that had overcome your features.

"Huh?" You managed to mumble out.

"If you want to know more you can meet me there."

"Like, a date?"

"What else would it be?" He said as he started to walk towards the group who had been seated at the table already.

"You know most people would just ask clearly." You tease as you walk beside him.

His steps faltered as he stopped suddenly, turning towards you. He looked into your eyes confidently, his lips held in a stern line as his eyes slowly started to soften the moment they met yours.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

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Bakugou's eyes opened suddenly, he sat up in his bed as the thought that had forced him awake repeated in his mind.

Tsukuyomi knew you and had met Katsuro, there was no way he didn't realize you were his other parent....

Fuck you Tsukuyomi!

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

✧ ˚ · . A/N: Mini Bakugo is so fun to write! Also having Bakugo in my last few posts, I realized I picture him cussing people out all the time even though he doesn't!

Bakugo will still make an appearance in Daddy? pt. II with a mini blonde explosive daughter. Since the post is continuing to get a lot of love I did plan to continue it for a total of four parts,

part III will feature Aizawa, Hawks, FatGum, All Might & part IV will feature Dabi, Twice, Shigaraki, Overhaul.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

She Stays (Part 3)

Summary: Could you please write one where student!reader appears in Supernatural universe taken from normal life and becomes an angel? Pairing Sam/reader?

Part 1 Part 2

Pairing: Sam x student!/angel!reader

Word Count: 1,800ish

Warnings: language, implied smut

A/N: Wow this is only how many years late? I know it’s been asked for many times for more of She Stays and here it is! Please enjoy this final part!

________

“Ow,” you heard Dean shout from the kitchen. When you came in he was sucking on his finger. “Cut it,” he mumbled, moving to the sink to run it under some water. He hissed as the cold hurt and you yanked his hand away.

“That needs stitches,” you said, Dean letting you twist his hand around. He smiled as he nodded approvingly.

“Yes it does,” he said, your hand reaching out and pulling a fresh towel to wrap it in. “You’re coming up to speed on the medical side of things,” he said. “Sammy’s been a good teacher.”

“I like when Sam teaches me,” you said, pulling him along to grab a first aid kit. “You on the other hand...”

“I’m an asshole who doesn’t give you an inch of slack, right?” asked Dean, putting on his mentor face. “Sam would go too easy on you in fights and target practice. You know it too.”

“I know, Dean,” you said, fiddling through the bag to find a needle and thread. “I don’t feel like I make any progress with you though. Sam tells me I’m doing a good job at least.”

“Kid,” said Dean, grabbing your wrist before you grabbed the supplies you needed. “You’ve come a long way in two months. I might even let you go on a salt and burn by yourself.”

“Really?” you said, eyes lighting up. 

“No, but only because Sam would kill me,” said Dean, chuckling as he moved your hand to the towel. “I know you can stitch and blood doesn’t bother you. Go ahead and try.”

“No, Dean,” you said, jerking your hand back. He frowned and feigned sorrow.

“Guess I’ll just bleed out since, Fledgy wouldn’t help me,” said Dean, holding up his finger.

“I need Cas,” you said, Dean scowling hard as he hoped onto the counter. The hunting stuff, that wasn’t so bad compared to knowing you had these abilities. You were still too scared to use them without Cas close by, afraid of hurting someone. 

“I trust you,” said Dean, holding out his hand. “I’m in worlds of pain here, Kid. Help a guy out.”

“Dean, I don’t want to,” you said, reaching for the medical bag again. “Angel stuff is not your area, remember, it’s Cas’.”

“I’m also bad cop,” said Dean. “Now try or I’ll work you so hard today so you’ll be too tired to go on your first date with Sammy.”

“Thank dad you’re not my soulmate,” you said, Dean chuckling as you grabbed his wrist. “Just don’t move or anything.” Dean stopped playing as he moved the towel back and you saw it still gushing blood. You thought of how big a cut it was, how it was deep and throbbing. You pictured it in your mind and then how it was supposed to be. 

Dean shut his eyes as you let warmth trickle from your fingers and told your grace to heal him. Dean jerked a little but when you pulled back he was good as new.

“I didn’t tell you about the bruise on my knee,” said Dean, shoving his pants up and seeing the black and blue mark missing.

“I wanted it to heal whatever was wrong with you,” you said a little timid. It felt intimate to heal someone, like you were touching their pain for the briefest of moments.

“I won’t tell Cas if you won’t,” said Dean, hopping off the counter. “Now it’s time for your surprise.”

“Please no more push ups today,” you said, Dean chuckling as he pushed on your shoulders.

“You’re going on your first date with your soulmate tonight, kid,” said Dean. “I’m taking you to the mall to go pick out whatever you want to wear. Then I’ll tell you a bunch of horribly embarrassing stuff about Sam you can bring up at dinner if you feel so inclined.”

“You’re such a good big brother,” you said, Dean already moving the two of you towards the garage.

Dean had surprisingly been a good shopping buddy. You picked out a few simple black dresses but Dean had found one with an open back that you fell in love with. You weren’t sure at first how it would look on you but once you were in a pair of heels even you couldn’t help but think you looked hot.

Leaving your room wearing it that night, knowing it was just you and Sam in the bunker, you felt a little silly. You weren’t going out or anything, it was dinner at home. But Sam had asked if you could wear a dress so your first date wasn’t in flannels and ripped jeans and you wouldn’t deny him that request.

“Hi, Y/N,” said Sam, working over the stove. “Could you grab...” he trailed off when he spun around and saw you. You could feel him light up as he lost the ability to speak.

“Plates?” you asked, Sam nodding, his eyes glued to every part of you. “Sam, I’m not that pretty.”

“You’re gorgeous,” said Sam, a little breathy. “You’re always beautiful but...I’ve never seen you dressed up before.”

“Slight improvement over you sweats and tee from that first day,” you said, stepping beside him to reach plates from the cupboard.

“You’re comparing apples and oranges babe,” said Sam, reaching up and grabbing the too high plates for you, an excuse to get you close dawning on you. “I love both those outfits. Anything really. I can almost see your wings in your back like that.”

“Sam,” you said, looking down shyly. “I don’t have my wings yet.”

“Yes you do,” he said, ignoring the cooking and running a hand up to the back of your neck. “They’re just very small right now,” said Sam, his hand moving lower and lower until his long fingers scrapped over the ridge of your shoulder blade.

You giggled as it tickled, the motion pulling something from you that you hadn’t quite felt before. 

“Beautiful snow white,” said Sam. “They’re right there, just under the skin. I can’t wait to see them when you’re full grown.”

“How do you know what they look like if you can’t see them?” you asked, resting your head on Sam’s shoulder. You would stay like this forever, him touching this vulnerable spot you didn’t know you had, making you tingle and smile all over.

“I just know,” said Sam, tilting your head back so he could cup your cheek. “I’m glad we took it slow. Got to be best friends first before trying this.”

“There’s no trying, this is...” you said, letting your angel side take over for a minute. “Cas told me something, about fledglings.”

“You’re very pure creatures,” said Sam. “It’s okay, Y/N. He told me too.”

“Then you know we can’t get frisky or anything like that at all,” you said, backing away from him, seeing the hurt on his face. “Where I came from, it didn’t matter but here...you’ll be stuck with me forever.”

“Spending forever with my soulmate? Yes that does sound awful,” said Sam, taking a step closer wrapping his arms around your waist. “I’m not scared, Fledgy. I will never pressure you one way or the other. It doesn’t mean I don’t have a preference for how things will turn out between us.”

“I’m not too young?” you asked, Sam unable to fight back a laugh.

“That’s...that’s what you’ve been worried about?” asked Sam with a smile. “I’m barely older. Fledgy, I love you. Nothing, absolutely nothing will ever stop that. Before you ask, I love you for you, not because of this soulmate thing. I’ve felt that perfect at home feeling with you every second I’m with you since the start, before we touched.”

“Can we eat dinner later?” you asked, the burnt smell of chicken filling your nose. “I’d like to do something with you first.”

“Make me yours, Y/N.”

Dean got home after midnight, only slightly buzzed as he found you and Sam eating pizza on the counter in pajamas.

“How’d the date go you two?” asked Dean, stealing a piece of your leftovers. “Going to be a second one?”

“Yup,” you said, Sam eyeing you up and down.

“Yup,” said Sam, a smirk on his face.

“Is this some couple thing or some angel thing?” asked Dean, watching the both of you. “Or did you two do it finally?”

“All of the above,” you said, Sam smacking your arm playfully. “Hey, someday I’m going to be stronger than you ya know.”

“That’ll be fun in bed,” said Sam, winking as Dean looked ready to gag. “Fledgy’s growing up,” said Sam, holding up a single perfect snow white feather. Just like he’d said it be.

“Angel’s getting her wings, huh? All you two had to do was go at it?” asked Dean, genuinely curious about the fledgling rules as they seemed to differ than a normal angel.

“Actually, it kind of...made me more human in certain areas,” you said, wondering if Dean would be angry. “Mating as a fledgling, with a human, it turns off that angel bit that let’s me...live forever. Normal life expectancy for me now.”

“Makes sense,” said Dean, both you and Sam raising an eyebrow. “Why would Chuck make soulmates that don’t get to be together when it’s all said and done? You two must really like each other to do that.”

“He’s okay,” you said, bumping into Sam’s ribs with a smile.

“It’s not so bad having an angel looking out for me,” said Sam, holding onto your feather like it was precious. 

“So you get anything else new while I was out beside some feathers?” Dean asked, silently reaching out to Sam asking to look at the one in his hand. Sam handed it over carefully as Dean inspected it. “Okay, I’ll admit that’s kind of cool.”

“Too bad you can’t see them like Sam,” you said, moving your left wing to tickle his arm, still so small it didn’t jut out past your back, Sam smirking and Dean looking on confused.

“Don’t stay up too late having angel sex, we’re going to work on werewolves tomorrow,” said Dean. “Night Sammy. Fledgy.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a full day a head of you,” said Sam. “Make sure to carve in some time for your boyfriend if you can.”

“I can always make time for him,” you said, brushing your wing up against his arm again, making Sam laugh. 

“Let’s go to bed,” said Sam, hopping off the counter and picking you up.

“I’m not tired though,” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I said go to bed, not sleep, Fledgy,” said Sam with a wink. “I got too much energy I need to burn off before I even think about curling up with you all night long.”

__________

[l00rem]

Hz ep65 rambles

This is going to be a long post because as expected I am just so incredibly normal about this episode. As someone who has wanted a deeper look into liko and amethio’s dynamic since forever i’ve been fed well. When it was clear Amethio wouldn’t be in this arc much I hoped we could at least get an episode with him and liko somehow but i gave up on the possibility, only for the title of 65 to get leaked which made me unable to sleep that day lmao

I know a lot of people are annoyed it’s taken the series so long for them to have a meaningful interaction but tbh i don’t really mind. The pokemon anime seasons last around 150 eps, and with gen 10 looking further away than most next generations hz might be lasting closer to the dp animes length, which makes sense considering it feels more like a one-shot series that won’t carry over into the next gen. It also just makes sense to me that they haven’t had a chat like this until now because why would they? as amethio says, liko was just the girl with the terapagos to him, there was no reason for him to go out of this way to chat with her and she was running from him because he’s the enemy. This episodes made it clear that their dynamic matters with it being the title, so i’m sure they’ll get a lot more moments from here on out.

Anyway, I absolutely adored amethio’s characterisation in this episode. Going into it i’d hoped we’d get to see his softer side and did the writers deliver on that! I love how it’s amethio who makes the initiative easier to talk with liko, there’s no reason for him to do this and what he said only motivates her (his enemy!!) and yet he most likely sees himself in her and so wants to comfort her as there was never anyone there for him… what he said really reminded me of friede’s words at the end of ep45 as well. I wonder if he could potentially become more of a mentor figure to her later on now that he’s been fired, as friede and roy have always felt closer to me in terms of mentor-student bond so it would be nice if liko got that with someone too.

he’s also the one to reach out his hand, which btw is the first time he’s made any physical contact with someone which wasn’t him flying on corviknight. Of course his hands were gloved, i wonder if he’ll take them off at some point? something something gloved symbolic for vulnerability, taking them off shows his trust and comfort…

The timing of putting Amethio next to Grusha also feels very intentional. They’re both cold on the surface but have better intentions deep down. I wonder if the whole Grusha being happier when he was younger will be true for Ame as well?? I can’t help but think about that Charcadet back from ep57 , which seemed so happy and friendly… He even made sort of a smile in this ep?? I don’t think i counts as a proper one, but his eyes are filled with so much love and warmth that it certainly gives the illusion of one. So, of course, order had to be restored by immediately making amethio suffer right after he finally displays some level of happiness

I find it really interesting how Gibeon seems to be bringing up Amethio’s dad in repose to Amethio showing comradeship with the enemy.

I know a lot of people think Amethio was born into explorers, but my personal interpretation is that ame’s dad left after meeting ame’s mom and decided there was more to life then chasing his dad’s wishes. Perhaps she was also a target for one of his missions but he ended up falling in love with her … (i don’t ship ameliko btw, i think the parallel is more love in general than specifically romance). I also don’t think amethio’s dad is alive, amethio seems to cling to gibeon for some reason so my theory has always been that gibeon killed ame’s dad (perhaps he tried to take gibeon down, now we’ve seen what the eternal blessing can do he wouldn’t stand a chance) and then manipulated amethio under the illusion that he’d been abandoned. And now he’s been abandoned again… Gibeon clearly doesn’t give a shit about him, in ep54 he goes all ‘how long has it been since we met like this?’ which sounds warm, like seeing your grandparent in person after so long… but then you realise that gibeon is literally just a long ass corridor away and could call amethio at any time. he chooses not to because he doesn’t care. ‘special regard’ my ass, it’s all manipulation to isolate amethio into thinking he could only belong to explorers. This also makes me wonder if gibeon didn’t actually fall for spinel’s plot as much as he seemed to, maybe he just knows amethio will get desperate in banishment and will try even harder to reclaim his honour (fucking pokezuko lmao) it’s a very evil scheme in that case, gibeon has been shown to hold a lot of intelligence so i hope it does turn out to be the case or else he looks kinda stupid imo

Another detail I loved in this scene was the others reactions, particularly Sango.

She looks genuinely shocked, I think from her pov amethio has always been this pampered prince whose been given everything on a silver platter, she didn’t realise how fragile his place in explorers actually was. I expected this from Onyx, but it shows a lot of nuance for Sango to feel this way too. Also, I’m a Hamber hater so i’m always gonna perceive his actions in a bad light- i don’t think he was showing genuine concern for amethio, it’s more that he knows amethio’s character better than gibeon and so would know that amethio would never betray gibeon. he saw the torture amethio put himself through in training, and said himself he was impressed by his resolve. Hamber’s concern comes from loosing a valuable asset to his master, not because he genuinely cares imo.

This does make me wonder how Ame and Liko will interact from here on out. I think he’ll blame Spinel mostly, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s colder to her next time to make a point to himself that he’s not soft on the enemy. But I hope Liko will notice this, perhaps realise he’s been banished and use this as an opportunity to get to understand him better. She showed him vulnerability this ep, so i hope the tables will turn next time.

I really liked this line too, especially considering liko is a character so centred around empathy. Allow me to speak in my girl who only thinks about umineko voice for a second, but it really reminded me of the core theme ‘without love it can’t be seen’. Liko’s learning that if she doesn’t try to see the perspective of even people who seem to have ill intent, she’ll never understand them. A good lesson for a girl who wants to understand the hearts of others!

Now, as for amethio’s future… Considering his own advice to liko he’s definitely not going to give up like that. He’ll probably continue to train so he can seize terapagos, but in the process will potentially get closer and closer with liko and the rvt. This depends a lot on his situation now he’s been fired- like will he have money? will zir and conia follow him? i get the sense that the writers want to isolate him from them to make it easier to focus on his development (as much as i miss them as a trio) it’d be interesting if they got given to spinel temporality but i’d fear for their safety…

It seems that he’ll be important next arc, i hope now that he’s not in explorers it’ll be much easier to make him show up in a casual setting. I’ve always hoped he’d be relevant in getting Kleavor, mainly bc both Kleavor and Cerueldge have weapon hands so a battle between the two would be cool, especially if he teams up with liko!

Perhaps this is a reach but i’ve been humouring the idea that he might actually form a bond with Carmine.

He is next to her on the poster, which might not actually mean anything… but amethio’s always given me Keiran vibes, i’d love it if she saw keiran in him (especially if he’s going through his emo era) and so wanted to reach out to him as perhaps a way to work out how to approach her brother. It would be really sweet for amethio to get a familial figure who genuinely cares about him, now that he’s in his homeless arc maybe she could take him in for this arc like the sad sopping wet kitten whose been left in a card box in the rain that he is.

So yeah, those are most of my intelligible thoughts that aren’t just me screaming and jumping on the spot. Inevitably this is already my favourite hz episode we’ve gotten so far, and i’m so excited to see where amethio goes from here on out! Please, just let him smile and be happy, he’s suffered enough :,)

[cookie-nom-nom]

I think it would be really great if the first to realize they’re a mind reader on Athos also realized she was trans after accidentally reading Ethan’s mind and going. Wh. That’s a woman?? And then when Terrence tried to do a little chill mentoring and be like hey :) I know your secret :)) she absolutely PANICKED that she’d get revealed as a secret she devil trying to corrupt the lives of innocent brothers or whatever Athos propaganda was like on that front. And obviously bolted.

It’s part way Terrence and Ethan sighing and realizing Adventure tm found them anyway. Like I figure they intended to be very hands off on the grand experiment, a little nudging at most, but also the kid was obviously FREAKED out and having things go very badly very publicly for the first new mind reader could be a bad misstep for the whole project. So they rangled up their gaggle of sons (who were taking an awful lot after Elli for maximum chaos) and declared a manhunt family vacation. It’s a cute look into their domestic life, but also Terrence was obviously feeling really bad about spooking her bc it felt like a ghost of some of his own trauma what with the being hunted down bit.

Meanwhile mind reader was desperately trying to figure out what triggered the sudden ability and how to replicate, if all women were telepaths, and if maybe she could be exorcised??? Could a priest help???? Dealing with a metric ton of internalized transmisogyny and the terrifying idea that maybe people can sense it?? Since that Terrence fellow knew before she did???? And is now hunting her down?!??!????

In proper Bujold fashion she’d probably fall in love with one of their sons, who in his rebellion and desperation to be seen as an adult decided to take the initiative and find what his dads were looking for before they could. He makes her feel like maybe it’s okay to break the mold, she makes him feel seen (and do some introspection on why he’s really acting out). Plus being heterosexual is basically peak rebellion on Athos, though that’s more of a lucky side effect.

It culminated in Terrence and Ethan finally cornering the pair, who are luckily more on the ‘nana can’t catch me’ and ‘oh crap im grounded’ side of things than the previous ‘I’m going to be burned at the stake’ level of catastrophizing. At which point Terrence delivered a long and ambiguous speech of solidarity, lots of ‘I know what it’s like because im the same’ and ‘you’re not a monster or scourge of society’ and enough confusing references to biology and genetics that she cried “thank god the father there’s another woman on this planet!” and started asking a million questions in the trans direction.

only for a very confused Terrence to go “what? No. I’m a telepath like you.”

“oh that….I kinda forgot about that part.”

[koukouture]

I think everyone has their own Transformers continuity living inside their head so here's mine:

(technically I have two I but think this one is more interesting)

Okay first of all I'm flipping things a little- experienced leader and soldier Optimus and a younger, more inexperienced Megatron who's a prodigy. Do you see the vision??? Optimus who leads by example and wisdom vs Megatron who has the fire of youth and wants to revolutionize everything but lacks experience and humility.

For this hypothetical universe- Orion Pax is a police officer and Megatron is an aimless youth who recently earned his freedom from the Gladitorial scene via a sponsor (Starscream but I'll get to that later) On that- Megatron has his name already because it's a nickname he got during his gladiatorial days and now he's just kinda rolling with it lol. Orion is kind to a fault but undeniably wise and is set for a promotion to chief of his precinct and Megatron is the rookie who gets to shadow him.

(Note: The age disparity isn't extreme like Orion isn't Megatron's dad it's more of a senior/junior or older brother/younger brother type situation. I don't like these two having such a large gap between them because they're yk rivals. Equals. That doesn't work when there's a power disparity. And I think Megatron's rough life has made him quite mature anyways)

They work together for a time and the most interesting part of this whole thing (at least in my opinion) is that Megatron is the much more effective fighter. So it becomes this cute buddy cop thing for a while where Megatron is the brawns and Orion is the brain which will eventually parallel how Megatron becomes the weapon or instrument of destruction while Optimus is the reason or guiding light.

So when they inevitably have their disastrous split Orion is actually horrendously outmatched and dies. But you know, Optimus rises from the ashes and his strength as a Prime gives him just enough leverage over Megatron.

This will lead to Optimus shutting down his emotions- not necessarily becoming cruel or cold but just very distant as he believed that his kindness made him weak. Megatron meanwhile isn't exactly kind- but he has compassion and conviction. He's a good public speaker and a relatable figure to many people who are oppressed. That is how he rallies people to his cause.

What's interesting about Starscream in this AU/continuity is that he's almost Megatron's mentor. Starscream is a noble who sponsored Megatron's last fight and essentially bought him his freedom. Why? Starscream is a hedonist- everything he does is in pursuit of his own pleasure and enjoyment. He frees Megatron because even as a gladiator he was outspoken and it entertained Starscream. He joins and funds the Decepticons because he enjoys the revolution and carnage. He helps Megatron initially because Megatron's ideas entertain him. Starscream doesn't actually believe in anything; that's why he's chosen to be a follower. As for his eventual and inevitable betrayal of Megatron- he does so because he felt like it. I think the moral dilemma of "what does it mean to have a "good" reason?" is very interesting because is chasing after your own pleasure hollow or is it a worthwhile endeavor? (yes it's because of final fantasy Zenos sue me)

To parallel Starscream we have Shockwave who is a nihilist. Shockwave also believes in nothing and joins Megatron's side on a whim because the Decepticons approve and would fund his inhumane experiments. My running idea here is that Shockwave was originally a pretty upbeat, cool guy who was also after his own pleasure but eventually fell into depravity which may or may not be an indicator of where Starscream ends up.

I don't have much on the Autobots for this continuity, however I will say that Sentinel and Optimus are at odds for a while as the last two Primes. Sentinel is much more morally ambiguous and desperate while Optimus is more firm in him beliefs. It's this odd inversion of Orion and Megatron's dynamic where Sentinel is spineless and impulsive and Optimus is one again the voice of reason. But you can't exactly say that Sentinel is wrong- he is willing to do anything to survive which has earned him his status as a Prime while Optimus wants to minimize sacrifice. It's this push and pull of "you cannot save everyone" and "I have to try and save everyone." Yes, even though Optimus tries to shut down his emotions he is still incredibly sympathetic and not as unfeeling as he's like himself to be. Sentinel is the same but only suppresses his negative emotions and tries to put on a brave face for the Autobots. So when Sentinel dies and Optimus becomes the last Prime standing and the sole leader of the Autobots they take a blow to their morale.

Anyways yeah that's all I got because if I say anything else stupid shit will come out of my mouth and I will also never shit up

[tuxedoferret]

Arcane finale was good....but

Spoilers for the finale of Arcane season 2, Arc 3 in general.

I'm probably screaming into the void but I wanted to get these thoughts out and see what other people think.

In general, I liked the endings for most of the characters. Their arcs make sense.

Vi, Caitlyn, Ekko, Jayce, Mel, Singed, and Viktor's story conclusions, I think were ended beautifully! (And Jinx too but I'll circle back to her in a second). Their endings made sense and were executed very well! I'm content with how their stories end!

And MOST of the deaths make sense... most of them.

Of course most of the minor characters are dead, no surprise since a majority of them we don't even know the NAMES of unless you scour the credits in the VA section.

Ambessa's death was well done, with Mel finally getting her mothers approval through breaking free of her control and finally being able to decide her own life and Caitlyn becoming a true leader.

The only thing that really bothers me, is the deaths of Heimerdinger and Warwick/Vander. Out of all of the champions in the game they're the only non-humanoid ones that made it into the show. They're also the only (game first) champions to actually die and they barely get to do anything. (I am one of the believers that Jinx is alive because there's no fucking way they would kill off one of their chief money makers, also based on evidence in the show).

With Heimerdinger in season 1 we see him serve as an oppositional force against Jayce, and then a mentor working with him. He gets kicked off of the council as a result of his conservative viewpoint. And he reflects on this, he leaves to go help the Zaunites however he can but gets shunned away. Then the goes and helps Ekko with repairing his board and getting home. In season 2 this continues with Heimerdinger helping Ekko get into Jayce's lab and them having the discussion about wild runes before getting sucked up into the anomaly. His last episode is him in the alternate universe with helping Ekko build the Z-Drive to return to his own universe. He puts it in the amplifier, is about to go with Ekko, then runs out and puts a few more things together and just... dies. Thats it for him. MAYBE he'll come back since he's a Yordle but this is new canon and the man had flesh and blood squished out of him. But in general his death feels cheap and unnecessary. What was the point of his death? How did it impact the narrative and what did the story gain from it as a result? Not fucking much really. He's never mentioned again afterwards. I feel like his death had no impact on the story whatsoever. I honestly think it would've been better if he had survived and returned with Ekko to fight in the battle against Noxus and Viktor. I would've liked to see him, either returning to the council or not, atoning for his mistakes by trying to make things better in Zaun with his inventions.

With Vander/Warwick there was so much hype around the theory that Vander would be returning as Warwick. And we were all super excited when that came true! We love it when the narrative rewards us for paying attention! But we get like... 3 episodes with him before he becomes a Viktor automaton. He was also still very much alive even after Singed drained his blood, so Viktor was wrong about how that would kill him. Warwick's role in the end felt very lackluster, and it felt redundant to just, kill him off AGAIN. Maybe I'm just a little mad because I have read up on Warwick and I feel like he had more potential for the narrative than just... make Vi watch her dad die all over again. The fight scene with Warwick could've been replaced with any big evil bruiser really (coughBlitzcrankcough). In general Warwick felt more like a Vi and Jinx accessory than his own potential character. Which kind of sucks. And maybe I'm a bit salty that we didn't get a full wolf Warwick. I think the whole his mind was reset/erased bit could've still been done if the explosion damaged his head and it healed back wrong/if singed replaced his head with one of the wolves' heads to make him fully Warwick in the end.

Isha's death kind of feels... not impactful at all to the story afterwards aside from Jinx's spiral. I would've liked it if her death did more than just that (Like I said, permanently damaging Warwick/Vander would've been nice)

This is about the league of LEGENDS and you'd think that Warwick and Heimerdinger would have bigger roles than just being killed off to further another characters story after barely impacting the narrative.

Also I feel like Sevika being on the council is like... stupid. I think she wasn't handled well at all after episode 4. She just completely disappears after running away with Isha. Why do we never see her hanging with Jinx and Isha again? I would have LOVED to see how Sevika reacted to Vander not being as dead as previously thought, the man she betrayed and ultimately ended up mirroring in the end with her refusing to give up Jinx to Piltover. I think it would've been fun if Sevika was the one to tell Vi when she woke up that Jinx gave herself up, despite all of Sevika's protests, an inversion of what happened with Vi and Vander. Putting Sevika on the council in the end is just kind of weird for her character. I understand it's like, the idea of Zaun finally getting representation on the council, Sevika getting a say in what happens in the undercity. But I feel like that could've just as easily been accomplished with finally letting Zaun have its own independence with Sevika being the "Baron" of Zaun, being the new leader. Because we've seen she's a genuinely good leader! She has a good head on her shoulders. It would've been fun to see how she'd struggle with being the new leader of Zaun, struggling against the Chem Barons if future series ever decided to look into Zaun again.

In general I'm fine with the ending of Arcane. But I feel like the endings could've been written a different way for those 3 characters. I honestly feel like it would've been better if the show ended off where the game picks up, and I don't even play League, I just like the lore from what little I've been reading.

[miss-musings]

Evaluating the Bad Batch members by BoyDad vs. GirlDad-ness

Wanted to take a quick look at how well I think each Bad Batch brother would do as a BoyDad versus as a GirlDad. These are just my opinions. Feel free to share your own thoughts!

Hunter: 50-50

Obviously, he's Omega's dad, so he gets major GirlDad points there, but I could see him being just as good of a BoyDad. Like, if Omega had been a boy, he would've done just as good of a job, if not better.

He seemed to bond with the cadets well enough in 3.02 "Paths Unknown." Plus, he's probably the closest thing his brothers had to a dad for ... well, pretty much their whole lives. He probably felt like a dad trying to keep up with Wrecker's energy and pyromania, Crosshair's brooding and snarky attitude, and Tech's ... Tech-ness.

(EDIT: Also @lemariz reminded me that Hunter’s Dad Instincts kicked in pretty naturally when he was talking to Caleb in 1.01 “Aftermath.” I really think he would’ve done just as good of a job at being a BoyDad. And, again, he basically was for his brothers.)

I imagine that, post-finale, Hunter keeps a close eye on the cadets. Maybe he even becomes their de facto guardian too until they reach biological adulthood in a few years.

But, obviously, raising Omega would remain his priority.

Wrecker: 75% BoyDad, 25% GirlDad

I really think Wrecker would be a better BoyDad. Or at least, that he would take to being a BoyDad more naturally.

Not that he couldn't be a GirlDad, but like he does with Omega, I think he would be more comfortable doing more boy-coded or at least unisex-coded activities. He would definitely enjoy playing tag or any other games, doing other physical activities like swimming and building sandcastles, and generally just running around having fun.

I don't know how he would do with like, playing with dolls, dressing up, doing hair and/or nails, etc. I don't think he would be lacking in enthusiasm, but he would definitely be more comfortable playing rough-and-tumble games and whatnot.

I also wonder how he would handle Omega hitting puberty. Suddenly the kid he played with is gone, and now he's got this moody teenage girl to deal with. (I honestly don't think Omega would be that moody of a teenager, but I'm sure there would be some ups and downs the whole family would have to navigate.)

I honestly think post-finale Wrecker would spend a lot of time with the cadets while they're still "kids," and be a big brother/mentor to them as he is to Omega.

He seemed to bond with them very quickly in 3.02, and since Hunter and Crosshair will be focused on Omega, Wrecker might feel like he should take on the job of looking after the cadets. Maybe he would even become their de facto guardian, that way Hunter can spend more time with Omega.

Crosshair: 100% GirlDad

Let's be real, fam. Crosshair would not do well as a BoyDad.

He is 100% GirlDad material.

I'm sure that if Crosshair ever had a biological son or if he officially adopted a boy, that he would love him. But, I really can't see Crosshair throwing himself into the Star Wars equivalent of Hot Wheels or wrestling, the way he would absolutely throw himself into things like braiding Omega's hair or listening to the Star Wars equivalent of Taylor Swift with her.

Heck, even if Omega wasn't in the picture for some reason, I bet he'd do better at raising a biological daughter than a biological son. I don’t think he would take to being a BoyDad at all — like it definitely would not come naturally to him.

I really can't explain why, aside from telling you that Crosshair's personality and character arc remind me a lot of my own dad, who's 100% a GirlDad. I'm his only biological child, but judging by his relationships with my stepsiblings when we were all kids, my dad never really took up the BoyDad mantle for my stepbrother. He was 100% a GirlDad for me and, to a much smaller degree, my stepsister.

So, I imagine Crosshair would be the exact same way.

I'm sure post-finale Crosshair can tolerate spending time with the cadets. Heck, he might even like them in small doses. But, if Hunter ever asked him, "Would you rather spend the day with the cadets or Omega?", you know Crosshair would respond, "What kind of stupid question is that?"

Echo: 90% BoyMom, 10% GirlMom

Because the fandom has officially declared Echo a mom (lol), I'm saying Echo is a BoyMom by default.

The guy has spent 99% of his life dealing with his brothers' bullshit, saving their asses from danger and asking them if they packed a lunch before going off on dangerous missions.

I don't think he was a bad "mom" to Omega before he joined Rex's clone underground, but even post-finale, I can't really see him readily doing "girly" things with/for her the way I imagine Hunter and Crosshair would.

By the way, I think post-finale Echo would basically be Omega's "godmother." Someone who's like a parent, and can step into that role if needed, but who isn't around all the time. He's an extended family member by this point, but he would definitely be the first person the Batch would call if something happened.

Tech: ???

I honestly have no idea about Tech. He doesn't really strike me as either BoyDad or GirlDad material.

I always saw his relationship with Omega as an uncle-turned-big brother. He definitely cared about her, but he never really connected with her until 2.10 "The Crossing." After that, I think they were much closer, but they didn't get to develop that bond much more because he died shortly after. 🫠😭

I really see Tech as more of a teacher/professor than a parent. And if he was a professor, I have no doubt he could successfully teach students of any gender, or general demographic.

But, feel free to disagree with me. I like Tech, but there are plenty of fans who love him more than I do, and might have their own thoughts.

As I said: I welcome friendly debate and discussion on any or all of these points! 😇

[imnotaman]

Nightmare

Penelope woke up in a strange place, a room in pitch black, she was about to grab her sword when she realized it wasn't beside her where she always left it. A voice called behind her

"Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?"

Him. How had he gotten to her?

she looked behind her back and got into her fighting stance, protecting both hands, glow and behold; there he was

"Ares!"

"Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you."

Why was he saying this. Did he just want to haunt her with the fact he'll never be her Mentor again? Why did he have to be like this.

Ares glitched, he seemed to be shifting onto another form. There were 2 options; either Penelope's dreams decided to be Extra Bitchy to her that day, or ARES decided to be Extra Bitchy to her that day.

"I see you changing from how i've designed you."

The walls began to shift, growing, shrinking, anything you could think the room would change to that.

"Have you forgotten your Purpose? Let me remind you."

She was somewhere else now. The Cyclops cave. Why the hell was Ares doing this to her. Soldiers were managing to run away, one of many was right behind her

"Circe." She looked as beautiful as the day she'd lost her. It took so long to realize the Cyclops was about to club at Circe, and she was blissfully unaware.

Penelope screamed out her name, any kind of warning! But it was too late

"600 Lives to take"

2 more people hit.

"600 lives I'll break"

4 in a single hit.

"And when I kill you then my deed is over."

Hit.

"You're dying here and now."

Hit.

"Escape is not allowed."

Hit.

"You won't live through this day so die."

Hit.

"Die."

The scenery changed, causing a sense of Nausia in Penelope, she couldn't see much as she was trying not to Puke. All she could hear were the sounds of the ocean and the wind in her hair

"And now it is finally time to say goodbye today you die~"

No.

"Unless, of course, you apologise."

Please.

"For my son's pain and all his cries"

Penelope looked up, maybe this time it could be different. Maybe Ares would be merciful enough to show what could have happened instead

"Amphitrite, we meant no harm," she began, her voice shaking. "we only hurt him to disarm him! We took no pleasure in his pain. We only wanted to escape~"

Ctimene was beside her, holding her shoulder as if she knew what was coming.

"The line between. Naiveté and Hopefulness is almost invisible"

FUCK.

"So close your heart"

There had to be a way to save them

"The world is dark."

There had... there had to!

"And ruthlessness is mercy--"

Fuck.

"Die."

The scene shifted again. She was in the Underworld.

"Waiting...."

Why. Why did he want her to suffer!?

"Waiting..."

Penelope turned, she knew who that was

"...Dad." it wasn't a question. Not this time at least. Her father's face began to shift

"Waiting... Penelope when you come home I'll be waiting..."

A tear couldn't help but fall down Penelope's eyes, at that point she had just started crying.

"Even if you're the last thing I see I'll be-"

"I-I'm right here Dad! Can't you see me? I'm"

"Waiting..."

A ghasp escaped her lips, why did Ares want this. "I took too lo-"

"--you on the brink of death"

Tireseas.

"I see you draw your final breath. I see a man who gets to make it home alive."

Penelope could only whisper what the Prophet said, "But it's no longer me..."

Penelope felt numb, she could only cry and beg with the same words she had spoken all those years ago

"This can't be... we've suffered and sailed through the toughest of Hells! Now you tell us our efforts for nothing!?"

The Prophet continued, "I see your Palace covered in red... Faces of Women who long thought you dead." She got closer to the Prophet, angry. She was so close home. It was all worthless!?

"I see your man with a girl who is haunting." Who. Who was it!? She got even closer to Tireseas "a girl with a trail of bodies..."

She grabbed him by the neck in anger

"WHO!?"

The scene changed, a boat. Directly inside of a cave, eyes glowing, 6 torches behind Penelope, she only had a single order.

"ROW FOR YOUR LIVES"

"DROWN IN YOUR SORROWS AND FEARS"

One.

"CHOKE ON YOUR BLOOD AND YOUR TEARS"

Two.

"BLEED TILL YOU'VE RUN OUT OF YEARS"

Three.

"WE MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE"

I know.

"GIVE UP YOUR HONOR AND FAITH"

Four.

"LIVE UP YOUR LIFE AS A WRAITH"

Five.

"DIE IN THE BLOOD WHERE YOU BATHE"

Six.

"WE MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE"

The figure appeared in front of Penelope, this never happened the last time Penelope want through this, Scylla's eyes grew red. Ares was in control of this.

"We are the same you and. I~"

"Choose."

Thunder appeared behind her. No. Please. ARES

"Someone's gonna die today and you have got the final say~ choose."

Penelope looked up at Zeus, praying to both him and Ares

"Please don't make me do this. D-Don't make me do this."

She didn't hear anything for a while, until Ctimene's voice caught her off guard

"Captain?"

Penelope looked up at her friend, she ran to hug Ctimene, which seemed to catch her by suprise

"I have to see them."

"B-but we'll die."

"...I know."

And with that the scene changed with a shock of Thunder, this was a different place, she was in a Palace. Ithaca? Why was she there

"Cause I'm stuck with your stories..."

That voice. She knew it all too well after the last to days.

"But no clue who you are"

Telemachus?"

"And no idea if you're dead or just too far~"

"TELEMACHUS!?"

Penelope fell down, cowering like a pathetic child. This was how she gave up.

"Somebody tell me."

The voice of the child she never met.

"Come and give me a sign"

Her real child.

"If I fight those monsters is it you I'll find?"

A monster. That's all she was. 600 men who died under her command. A monster to both Man and God. Why. Why couldn't she move

"I still intend to make it so you don't Lower your Guard"

Ares.

"Don't forget that you're a warrior, do not tear yourself apart"

ARES.

"You are a warrior of the heart"

Penelope stood up, ready to tackle him at any moment, she ran as quickly as Possible and landed a punch, he didn't even flinch.

"Don't disappoint me"

She really had nobody. Her friends were all dead, Amphitrite would probably drown all of Ithaca, and the people she cared about weren't even from her universe

Solana would never actually care. Telemachus only likes her because him own mom's a γιος της σκύλας. And Odysseus is in her own place so she'd never see him.

It was worthless.

She was worthless

And the she woke up in the tent she set up in the tress, just outside the barrier of Ithaca.

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 58

Rustshade dies of yellowcough.

[Image ID: Oilstripe begs the ghosts of Rustshade and Fennelspot, “Dad… Dad, no, I need you to visit.” Under her, it says + CONDITION: GRIEVING.]

Oilstripe probably should have felt bad about her father’s death. He was another founding member of the Clan, gone barely a moon after Fennelspot. And yet, Oilstripe was closer to Fennelspot in life and still didn’t grieve him. That was, in part, because she still saw him all the time.

Fennelspot loved to linger. Oilstripe was sure he would be one of the Blessed Ones, guiding the growth of herbs along, the Celestial of RippleClan Clerics (she was trying to get that title going for him early on, he was the first of their Clan after all). Oilstripe would see Fennelspot in the gardens often, trotting around the caretakers and eyeing how they tended his herbs. He would also show up in the medicine den, surprising Oilstripe when she went to see her daughter. Oddly enough, Troutpool was never shocked to hear of Fennelspot being around. She would say she “had a feeling” he was watching. Sometimes, Oilstripe forgot Fennelspot was dead at all. How could she grieve someone who never left?

That was how it was with Rustshade as the Clan sat at his vigil. Rattlepelt treated him well, weaving a crown of wheat stalks tenderly bartered from WheatClan, honoring his role in the Clan’s founding. His grandkits were with him now; Troutpool gently groomed his forehead as Honeykit, Splashkit, Leatherkit, and Drumkit, all just a few days away from their apprentice ceremony, pretended they weren’t still kits and kept quiet. Carnationspeckle, whose pelt was half-shaved from all the mats they had to cut off, sat with Downstar, offering a gentle word to her old mentor while her daughter and mate grieved. Except Oilstripe wasn’t grieving. She sat with Clammask, grooming the sadness off her pelt with Scrubmask on the other side, but Oilstripe’s eyes were off to the side. She wasn’t looking at her father’s empty shell, she was looking at Rustshade himself.

Rustshade sat with Fennelspot and Puddlespeckle, watching his own vigil. Valleybrook’s ghost sat a ways behind them (he had passed a while ago, killed by a human farming wheat). Oilstripe figured Rustshade needed time to process the fact that he was dead. She was sure it would have been a shock for him to fall asleep and never wake up. As Scrubmask collected her kits from Rustshade’s body, the ghosts wandered toward the exit. Oilstripe brushed against her younger sister once more and followed the spirits outside.

“Dad!” she called. Puddlespeckle continued on, vanishing into the tree line, but Fennelspot and Rustshade stopped and turned around. Oilstripe had to dig her back paws in to avoid tumbling through her father’s spirit. “So then, what did you think of your own vigil?”

“I’m happy with how I’ve been honored,” Rustshade sighed, whiskers drooping. “Take care of your sister and your kin, Oilstripe.” There was an odd finality to the phrase that made Oilstripe cock her head.

“You say that like I’m not going to keep seeing you around,” she laughed. Rustshade bristled and Fennelspot placed his tail on his friend’s back. One of the red petals that forever stayed in his fur slipped onto Rustshade’s pelt.

“I’m dead, Oilstripe,” Rustshade huffed like a mentor reminding their apprentice of an obvious fact. “That means I’m not going to be here to help you.”

“Yes, not in the same way you used to be,” Oilstripe chuckled awkwardly, one ear tilted to the side. “But you’ve always been a comforting weight at my side, and you’ll keep being that as a spirit of StarClan. You can join Applepelt when they shadow me sometimes. They’re good company.”

“No, Oilstripe,” Rustshade growled. “You don’t understand. The next time you see me, you’ll be a warrior of StarClan yourself.” Rustshade was right. Oilstripe did not understand.

“But I’ll see you when you visit the territories,” Oilstripe huffed. “just like I see Twinekit and Locustseeker and Burdockcreek.” A hole, not too different from the gnawing anxiety that bit her pelt when Carnationspeckle was held captive, opened in her chest.

“What your father means,” Fennelspot sighed, stepping closer, “is that he’s tired. He’s lost many of the cats he cared for. He is one of StarClan’s ranks who find returning to the Clans too painful. The friends you’ve known who have joined StarClan, they like to visit, but Rustshade wants to spend time with his long-gone children in the stars.”

“But no,” Oilstripe said, unable to stop a panicked laugh from slipping out, “that would mean he’s leaving me.” Fennelspot and Rustshade simply stared at Oilstripe, their gazes heavy. “Dad… Dad, no, I need you to visit.”

“You haven’t needed me in a long time, Oil,” Rustshade sighed. “You have a strong life built for yourself. You don’t need me.”

“No, Dad, I don’t know…” Oilstripe stammered. She reached a paw toward her father’s ghost. Rustshade stepped back. With a soft shake of his head and one last look with his stern heather eyes, he walked out toward the trees. “Dad, stop! Come back! Fennelspot, stop him! Bring him back!”

“I’m sorry, Oilstripe,” Fennelspot gulped. “Let him rest in peace.” Fennelspot ran to catch up to his old friend. 

“Stop!” Oilstripe begged. “You can’t leave like that! You have to come back! Even for one visit! Dad!” Fennelspot and Rustshade were nothing but specks of red among the early dawn trees. One blink and they were gone..

When the Witch Hunters captured Carnationspeckle, Oilstripe had not known what to do. There was an uncertainty in her heart, a hundred questions she could not answer. She supported Troutpool and Rattlepelt, demanded answers from Lemmy, and searched for reassurance when she could. She was scared, but she had not felt hopeless, because if Carnationspeckle had died, her spirit would have stayed at her side. She would return, not in the way she wanted, but she would have returned.

Was this what true grief felt like?

Oilstripe needed the pain to go away. She didn’t know how to handle it. It was killing her. She couldn’t breathe. She needed her father’s quiet support at her side. She crouched in the sand, shaking. Why would Rustshade leave her like that? Didn’t she mean something to her father?

“Oilstripe.” Carnationspeckle’s soft, gentle fur pushed into Oilstripe’s stiff pelt. Her touch broke down the wall in Oilstripe’s throat. A deep, guttural sob broke free.

“He’s leaving me!” Oilstripe wailed. “He’s leaving me behind!” Carnationspeckle was strong; she could handle Oilstripe’s entire weight against her. Oilstripe shook so hard, she thought she might break like Trumpetspore’s half-finished pottery.

“When you rescued me,” Carnationspeckle said softly, “you told me you’d do everything possible to make my heart right again, and thanks to you, I know I’ll get there someday. I’ll do the same for you.” Each mate pressed into the other, clinging for life like debris along the sea.

(Oilstripe: 62, female, historian, charismatic, ghost speaker)

(Fennelspot: 113, male, cleric, insecure, trusted advisor, incredible runner)

(Rustshade: 102, male, codekeeper, sneaky, learner of lore)

(Puddlespeckle: 156, male, elder, strict, good hunter, good kitsitter)

(Carnationspeckle: 60, female, caretaker, compassionate, fish-like swimmer)

When Scrubmask and Clammask’s kits are apprenticed, Honeypaw asks to train as a cleric and gets cicada wings as decor. His littermates train as a historian, warrior, and caretaker respectively, apprenticed to Weedfoot, Trumpetspore, and Elmsprout.

[Image ID: Honeypaw, Splashpaw, Leatherpaw, and Drumpaw all have their apprentice forms, with Honeypaw sporting some cicada wings. Under Honeypaw, it says LEVEL UP! HONEYKIT -> HONEYPAW, NOISY -> DARING, + ACCESSORY: CICADA WINGS. Under Splashpaw, it says LEVEL UP! SPLASHKIT -> SPLASHPAW, NOISY -> BOLD. Under Leatherpaw, it says LEVEL UP! LEATHERKIT -> LEATHERPAW, IMPULSIVE -> VENGEFUL. Under Drumpaw, it says LEVEL UP! DRUMKIT -> DRUMPAW, QUIET -> LOYAL.]

(Honeypaw: 6, male, cleric apprentice, daring, has lots of ideas)

(Splashpaw: 6, male, historian apprentice, bold, never sits still)

(Leatherpaw: 6, male, warrior apprentice, vengeful, avid play-fighter, confident with words)

(Drumpaw: 6, female, caretaker apprentice, loyal, moss-ball hunter)

Waspdawn’s tail is injured by a fox.

[Image ID: Splashpaw sneaks off while Troutpool and Honeypaw surround Waspdawn, who has + CONDITION: MANGLED TAIL written underneath him.]

---

Elmsprout had gotten into a bit of trouble; Parsley accused her of giving prey to AshClan, as seen on one of her many strolls with Carnationspeckle. Waspdawn and Puddlewhisper, chosen as defender and inquisitor to the potential trial ahead, went out to investigate the scene and get information from AshClan. Unfortunately, they stumbled across a rather sickly and feral old fox that stuck a solid blow against Waspdawn, nearly biting his tail clean off! It threw the Clan into a bit of a whirlwind. Lavendertwist, who had gotten his stitches out but still wasn’t allowed to speak or eat hard foods, stayed at his wounded brother’s side. Weedfoot and James shared tongues outside the medicine den, waiting for news. 

That left Splashpaw deeply, deeply bored.

He probably should have felt worse about Waspdawn’s terrible injury, but he had no doubt he would be fine. Honeypaw had only been training for a quarter moon and was already great at his job. But with Weedfoot worrying over her kit, Splashpaw could only sit in camp and kick at clouds.

Leatherpaw and Drumpaw trotted out of the apprentice’s den, laughing. Splashpaw rolled to his paws, eyes gleaming.

“What are you doing?” Splashpaw asked, leaping to his littermates’ side.

“Trumpetspore and Elmsprout are taking us to our first sparring session!” Leatherpaw cheered with a playful wiggle of his flank. “I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous to see what actual battle is like, but I can’t wait to drive off predators and rogues!”

“Nervous?” Drumpaw laughed softly. “More like overeager. Trumpetspore will stomp that out.”

“Please take me with you,” Splashpaw begged, crouching pitifully. “I’m so bored.”

“Our mentors will be focused on our training, not yours,” Leatherpaw said. “You’ll have to keep yourself entertained.”

“But Honeypaw’s busy with Waspdawn, and our moms are on patrol!” Splashpaw whined. 

“Figure it out!” Leatherpaw said without a hint of sympathy. Drumpaw, at least, gently batted Splashpaw’s ear. Leatherpaw and Drumpaw ran to the entrance, where their mentors were already waiting for them. Splashpaw watched, envy bubbling in his stomach, as they sauntered off. As soon as they left, Mosspounce walked in, tail held low.

“Mosspounce!” Splashpaw called. “Can you show me some battle moves? Or take me hunting? Please, give me something to do.” Splashpaw rolled onto his back in front of Mosspounce.

“Not now, Splashpaw,” Mosspounce sighed, stepping over the gold and white apprentice. Splashpaw cocked his head, still upside-down.

“Did you not enjoy your walk?” Splashpaw huffed, turning right side up. Mosspounce groaned dramatically and gave into the apprentice’s insistence, sitting.

“It wasn’t just a walk,” he grumbled. “I was waiting by the river for Lemmy. Again.” Splashpaw had a very clear memory of Lemmy from her visit three moons prior, after Carnationspeckle went missing. She had seemed so fierce, even with her silly yellow collar. 

“She still hasn’t come to see you?” Splashpaw huffed. “I thought we were friends with the Witch Hunters now.”

“They could have found out about her dreams,” Mosspounce mumbled. “They would have labeled her a witch if they knew about them. It’s just that… I think I really liked her, Splashpaw. I wanted her to join RippleClan. I thought that’s why StarClan visited her dreams. But maybe not.” Mosspounce shook his head and slunk into the warrior’s den. As his black tail vanished, Splashpaw got an idea. A brilliant, stunning, heroic, fun idea.

Splashpaw glanced around camp. Most cats were focused on the medicine den, waiting for an update on Waspdawn. Splashpaw fluffed himself up and marched out of camp.

“Where are you off with such swagger?” Tempestshade was guarding the entrance and purred mischievously when Splashpaw appeared. The lie came to Splashpaw with shocking ease.

“Weedfoot said I could join my littermates at Battle Beach!” Splashpaw chirped. “It’s north along the shore, right?”

“Head straight there, and have fun,” Tempestshade said with a nod. Splashpaw chirped happily and jogged away from camp.

Splashpaw was going to be a hero. He was going to find Lemmy and bring her to RippleClan for the reward she deserved.

(Splashpaw: 6, male, historian apprentice, bold, never sits still)

(Leatherpaw: 6, male, warrior apprentice, vengeful, avid play-fighter, confident with words)

(Drumpaw: 6, female, caretaker apprentice, loyal, moss-ball hunter)

(Mosspounce: 19, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Tempestshade: 19, nonbinary (they/them), caretaker, childish, incredible cook)

Splashpaw heads into the human settlements to find Lemmy.

[Image ID: Splashpaw now wears a purple ribbon collar, and has + ACCESSORY: PURPLE RIBBON COLLAR written under him. He says to Lemmy, who has + CONDITION: YELLOWCOUGH under her, “This is a rescue mission!” Lemmy replies, “Yet we’re both trapped now.”]

---

Splashpaw wasn’t sure why so many of his Clanmates talked about the human settlement like the Dark Forest on earth. Yes, it smelled, it was loud, and until just recently, the loners that lived there might have killed Splashpaw for visiting. But Splashpaw liked the intense smells and sounds. He liked the tall dens and whinnying horses. He could see why so many cats lived here, whether with humans or along the horse paths. Who knew what stories and adventures lay hidden among the humans and Witch Hunters?

Splashpaw trotted eagerly through the streets, largely ignored by the humans. It was late afternoon, and the humans were as active as a Clan full of kits. They yowled and jostled one another, waving their paws about and stepping around the horse dung that covered the paths. Splashpaw knew the dangers of a horse path; Spikecrash made it her mission to warn every new litter of the danger of horses, sharing the tale of her scar. Yet the horses and monsters they dragged about moved slowly, careful to avoid the humans.

As Splashpaw crept among the humans, one of their gangly pink paws reached down and stroked his back. He shivered at the foreign touch and scampered away. To his surprise, the touch didn’t feel too bad! If humans touched kittypets like that all the time, Splashpaw could see the appeal of the lifestyle. He shook himself out though. He needed to focus!

A group of humans yowled and gawked at baskets of strange fruit, set within a wooden structure. A lilac tom relaxed at the base of the structure, idly watching the humans.

“Excuse me!” Splashpaw yowled. He weaved around the humans to reach the tom. “I’m looking for Lemmy. She’s a tortoiseshell with a yellow collar. Have you seen her?”

“I haven’t seen Lemmy since before that trouble at the Singing Place,��� the tom sighed. “Sorry, young tom. .” Splashpaw crept underneath the structure and around the chattering humans. Even the loners of the human settlement hadn’t seen Lemmy? What had happened to her?

Two pink paws wrapped around Splashpaw’s torso. He should have yowled and clawed, bitten and kicked at his attacker, scrambled away to rethink his plan. Yet as his paws left the ground, Splashpaw was frozen. What was happening? He looked overhead and saw the gleaming, furless face of a human. It bared its teeth and made a high pitched sound that hurt Splashpaw’s ears. Splashpaw hissed as his heart beat wildly. He snapped his jaws at the human’s small paws, but even as his fangs dug into the soft flesh, the human’s grip only tightened. It made that high pitched sound again and pressed Splashpaw to its chest. The billowing fabric around its lower half swished as it spun and took off down a side path away from the taller humans.

How had Splashpaw not seen the human reaching for him? He had been so distracted by the other humans and his own quest, he forgot to pay attention to his surroundings. That was the first thing Weedfoot told him when she showed him the territory; even when he was simply enjoying time outside camp, he had to pay attention. He could never predict when an excited dog or angry bear could stroll through the trees and pick Splashpaw as its next meal. He had forgotten that simple lesson, and now he was going to meet some cruel fate at the paws of a mad human. 

Splashpaw squirmed and clawed at the human’s pale overcoat, but he couldn’t break through the strange material. All of his efforts were met with a tighter hold that squeezed the air out of him. The human was slow, but its gangly walk disoriented Splashpaw. Eventually, as fewer and fewer humans appeared around Splashpaw and his captor, the human slowed. It stood in front of a den that was likely squat by human standards but still towered over any cat. Another small human waited by the den’s entrance with a long white pelt in its paws. It hurried over to its companion and wrapped the pelt around Splashpaw. His legs pressed into himself. He couldn’t move!

The second human revealed a new object from the ripples of its colorful pelt; a bright purple ribbon. It reminded Splashpaw of James’ ragged black ribbon he still insisted he wore. Splashpaw’s terror cooled for a moment as the human wrapped the ribbon around his neck. It was shockingly smooth; no wonder James and Lavendertwist wore theirs as much as they could!

The peace only lasted a moment, however, as the pair of humans carried Splashpaw around their den and toward a smaller wooden den. The second human hurried ahead and moved the wooden barrier that revealed the dark interior. The human carrying Splashpaw quickly unwrapped his restraints and tossed him into the shadows. He spun and bolted for the exit, but the humans quickly slammed the wooden wall shut.

“Let me out!” Splashpaw yowled. “I’m not a kittypet! I’m a RippleClan historian!”

“They’ll be back with food later.” Splashpaw jumped. He peered into the darkness of the small den, barely big enough for a few cats. Giant human tools sat against the wall, sharp points jutting toward Splashpaw, ready to kill. A black lump laid in the corner, deep blue eyes glaring at Splashpaw. The entire den reeked of sick. As Splashpaw’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he could see the strange molly’s yellow collar and red patches.

“Are you Lemmy?” he gasped, trying not to sneer at the smell.

“You were one of the kits from RippleClan,” Lemmy huffed. She crept closer to Splashpaw before suddenly shivering. She coughed violently, bright yellow phlegm splattering onto the wooden floor. Memories of Rustshade’s phlegm crusted face splashed through Splashpaw’s mind.

“Stay back!” Splashpaw yelped, pressing against the wall. “You have yellowcough. You could get me sick.”

“I’ll try not to,” Lemmy grumbled as she shook from the effort of coughing. 

“Have you been here this whole time?” Splashpaw asked, claws digging into the wood. “Mosspounce has been looking for you.”

“I’m not surprised,” Lemmy sighed softly. “I was going to assist him in rescuing his friend, but those human kits snatched me and threw me in here. I think they want me to be their housecat.”

“A collar means you already have a human, though,” Splashpaw huffed. “Why would they take you from them?”

“I don’t believe my human is very popular among the others,” Lemmy grumbled, shaking her head as she shivered once more. “He tends to keep to his den. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kits thought they were rescuing me.”

“That’s what I’m here to do!” Splashpaw chirped, standing a bit taller. “This is a rescue mission!”

“Yet we’re both trapped now,” Lemmy said. She returned to her spot in the back of the den. “If you’re quick when they return, you can likely slip away.”

“I’m not leaving you behind,” Splashpaw huffed. 

“Then you’ll rot,” Lemmy growled, lips curled. Muffled yowls broke through the walls. Splashpaw backed up, ears perked. The yowling grew closer and closer. Suddenly, the wooden barrier tilted aside. Two big humans, male and female, crouched in the grass with long pelts in their paws. Splashpaw hissed, a warrior’s courage filling his heart. The humans cooed and clicked, but Splashpaw now knew better. He slashed at the long pelt and raked his claws along the big human’s paw. This time, the human yelped and pulled back.

“Still hopeless now?” Splashpaw yowled, kicking Lemmy. “Let’s go!” Life leaked through Lemmy’s cold eyes. She pushed herself up and, with whatever strength she had left, ran between the big humans. Splashpaw was right on her tail.

The human kits cried and wailed from the comfort of their large den as the older humans nursed their wounds. Splashpaw and Lemmy kept going. They ran across empty horse paths, as far from the human dens as they could. Splashpaw glanced back. Thank StarClan, the older humans were not chasing them; rather, they yowled at their wailing kits, utterly ignoring the escaping cats.

Lemmy collapsed as soon as they hit the trees. Splashpaw stopped, panting. Lemmy hacked up more phlegm, almost vomiting from the effort.

“I did it!” Splashpaw cheered, prancing around Lemmy. “I rescued you! I’m a hero!”

“We only got out because the adults finally realized their kits were keeping us trapped in there,” Lemmy growled, struggling to breathe.

“But maybe that realized that because they saw their kits grab me!” Splashpaw chirped. “And you said it yourself, you didn’t feel strong enough to run out on your own. So that means I saved you.” Lemmy laughed softly, shaking her head.

“That little black kitten kept telling me to stay strong,” she scoffed. “I never thought she would send a kit barely older than she.”

“I’m an apprentice!” Splashpaw huffed with mock indignation. “Wait, I never told you my name! I’m Splashpaw. Mosspounce has been waiting for you. He rescued Carnationspeckle thanks to you! Everyone in the Clan loves Carnationspeckle, so Downstar agreed that if Mosspounce found you again, he could offer you a position in the Clan!” Lemmy narrowed her eyes. “What’s that face for? What, do you not want to join RippleClan?” Lemmy seemed to have a sharp retort ready to go, but she tightened her jaw instead. 

Splashpaw took in their surroundings. Truthfully, he had no idea where he was. Still, he knew his directions, and if he kept heading south, he would eventually hit the Great Northern River. He wasn’t sure if Lemmy had the strength to swim, but if they could find the stepping stones, they would be back in RippleClan like that! It was close to sunset though; his mothers would be so mad when he finally got home.

“I should make my way back,” Lemmy muttered, but she did not get up.

“And break Mosspounce’s heart?” Splashpaw scoffed. “You do realize he is in love with you, don’t you?” Lemmy blinked, her emotions well hidden behind her calculated gaze.

“He does remember I tried to kill him, doesn’t he?” Lemmy said.

“I think that’s part of why he likes you,” Splashpaw admitted. “It’s a little gross to me, but you shouldn’t keep him waiting. He told the Clan you would make a great codekeeper. I think it’s like what you used to do with the Witch Hunters, but you’re enforcing the warrior code rather than what the Witch Hunters follow. The Witch Hunter Code? I don’t know.” Lemmy stared at Splashpaw for a while. She stared for so long that his long fur started to burn. Eventually, Lemmy got to her paws with another cough.

“I can at least get my cough cured, I suppose,” Lemmy sighed. Splashpaw couldn’t hide his glee as his tail rose high. Lemmy shook her head, but there was no longer any malice in her face.

“Then I’ll lead you home, new Clanmate,” Splashpaw chirped. 

As Splashpaw and Lemmy stalked into the trees, making their way toward their new shared home in the dimming light, Lemmy asked, “Do you know the way back?”

“I’m trusting my instincts!”

“So you don’t know?”

“...no.”

“This will be a long night.”

(Splashpaw: 6, male, historian apprentice, bold, never sits still)

(Lemmy: 34, female, codekeeper, cold, deep StarClan bond)